Adelaide United kit man Chris Kelly understood to be axed by the club a week before Christmas
Adelaide United is understood to have axed its kit man Chris Kelly a week before Christmas. Also in this week’s 90 minutes, SA soccer great Aurelio Vidmar reveals his latest overseas post, plus plenty more.
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Adelaide United’s kitman Chris Kelly is believed to have been axed a week before Christmas after The Advertiser revealed another Reds redundancy on Monday.
Kelly, who worked for the club first as a volunteer before earning a full-time role in 2016, joins Adelaide United’s general manager of football Ante Kovacevic out the door.
He also worked as the club’s photographer and his pictures can be seen all over the Reds’ social media sites.
Adelaide United have been contacted for comment.
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VIDDIE GOING HOME UNITED
Socceroos, Adelaide City and Adelaide United legend Aurelio Vidmar has been appointed as the new coach of Home United – a member of Singapore’s premier league.
Vidmar told 90 Minutes he is in Singapore getting his new squad organised.
“I’ll be back home for Christmas and head back to Singapore early in the New Year,’’ Vidmar said, after 90 Minutes revealed he was on the verge of a new coaching gig last month.
Vidmar’s side does have an Australian flavour to it.
Brisbane-born Isaka Cernak, 30, an A-League member of Brisbane Roar, Central Coast, Perth Glory, North Queensland Fury and Wellington Phoenix signed for the club.
Oliver Pufflet – a former Western Sydney Wanderer – is also listed.
The gig is Vidmar’s second abroad.
He led Thailand’s Bangkok Glass after ending his coaching duties with the Socceroos and Olyroos in 2016.
CASH BOOST
A pair of new sponsorship deals have delivered cash injections into the grassroots and top flight of the local game.
Football SA this week announced partnerships with Coopers and Carl’s Jr, which will support both ends of the soccer spectrum over the next year three years.
The SA brewer will sponsor the men’s and women’s National Premier Leagues from next season, increasing prizemoney in both competitions as well as State League One and Two.
Burger chain Carl’s Jr meanwhile will back the federation’s junior programs for nearly 37,000 boys and girls.
It will be naming rights partner of the state’s talent identification scheme and school football initiative, which last year attracted 1700 new participants and employs 80 casual coaches.
FSA chief executive Michael Carter would not reveal the monetary value of the deals, but said they would provide a significant boost for the sport.
“Attracting corporate partners with strong brands is great for the code,” Carter said.
“All partners support the continued growth (of the game) with funds injected specifically into programs that support the code.”
Carter said there was an opportunity to renew both deals at their completion.
SALLEY JOINS MORI
Adelaide United fans favourite Gyawe Jonas Salley has joined Adelaide City legend Damian Mori at White City.
Salley had a brief coaching stint with Adelaide United’s sister club Qingdao Reds Lions’ senior third division side in China.
He is now Mori’s assistant coach as the club aims to climb back into the NPL from State League 1.
EPL ENDORSED COMPANY ARRIVES IN OZ
An independent global soccer company endorsed by Richard Scudamore, ex-chairman of the English premier league and now Chief Adviser to the A-League, is destined to change Australian how clubs operate – for the better.
Harvey Arman is in charge of global giant Double Pass, Sydney which has recently opened a new office in the Harbour City.
Arman is the director of Asia and Oceania.
“What gets measured gets done, this is our philosophy at Double Pass and Australia urgently needs an objective, informed perspective in its football world,’’Arman said.
“As a proud Australian I am thrilled and excited to contribute to our nation’s football, a sport that can and should proudly illustrate our national identity and DNA.
“Double Pass delivers state-of-the-art services to build a nation’s talent development system, with a proven track record all around the world.
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“My goal is to stimulate, inspire and connect the Australian football landscape and all of its stakeholders federations, clubs, academies and grassroots with a vehicle like double pass that I am privileged to represent.
“Let’s together go for more and better Australian players!”
The 19-year-old company evaluates, advises and educates football leagues and clubs for the purpose of club management and youth development.
Apart from assessing all of the top four division clubs in England, Double Pass has been endorsed by the football federation’s of Germany, Japan, the US, Turkey, Denmark, Hungary, Malaysia and Uzbekistan.
“The double pass project has transformed the quality of our academies and is a success story,” said Christian Seifert, chief executive of the Bundesliga.
“It’s our youth academies that continuously provide talents that make the Bundesliga and the national team so exciting, attractive and successful.”
NEW COMET
Injured Adelaide United striker Kristian Opseth has inadvertently boosted a local women’s team’s off-season recruitment drive.
The Norwegian forward, who missed the Newcastle win with an adductor problem, has been joined in SA by his partner, Savannah Francis, since arriving at the Reds in August.
US-born Francis, a talented footballer in her own right, has spent the past two seasons with IK Grand Bodo in Opseth’s homeland.
Tonight, we are pleasured to announce another new signing for the 2020 Women’s National Premier League SA Season, Savannah Francis.
— Adelaide Comets FC (@AdelaideComets) December 9, 2019
We welcome Savannah from IK Grand Bodø, Norwary and previously from University of California, Santa Barbara.
Welcome, Savannah!#CometsFamily pic.twitter.com/wqxSkTRYrO
The defender was last week unveiled as an Adelaide Comets player ahead of this coming Women’s NPL campaign.
Francis previously spent four years at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she shone in the Gauchos’ soccer program while studying a sociology degree.
Her football journey crossed paths with Opseth’s in 2017 in the Norwegian town of Bodo, where the 188cm hitman was plying his trade for top flight side FK Bodo/Glimt.
SOUTH AUSSIES AT PEAK OF SOCCER’S GOVERNING BODY
SA lawyer James Kitching is the latest FIFA recruit.
He is FIFA’s director of football regulation overseeing the transfer market and will reportedly move to Switzerland in early January.
Kitching headed up his own consultancy from Adelaide for the past five years after he was the ex-boss of legal services, disciplinary and governance at the Asian Football Confederation.
He will probably bump into former Blue Eagles defender Gary Moretti in the corridors of FIFA.
Moretti worked for five years in Qatar as a senior manager - football events and education for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (in essence the 2022 World Cup local organising committee).
The former Socceroos team manager is now the head of FIFA’s competition management.
And Kitchin and Moretti have another South Australian not too far away working for UEFA.
Olaf Borutz is a sponsorship and licencing TEAM marketing boss for UEFA club competitions also in Switzerland.
SA PLAYERS ABROAD
Brandon Borrello – Freiburg (Bundesliga): Unused substitute in a 1-0 loss to Hertha Berlin away.
Alex Chidiac – Atletico Madrid (women’s Spanish Primera Division): Recovering from an ankle injury
Ben Garuccio – Hearts (Scottish Premier League): Recovering from an ACL injury
Awer Mabil – Midtjylland (Danish Super League): Scored in a 3-1 home loss over AGF
Craig Goodwin – Al-Wehda (Saudi Arabia Pro League): Provided an assist in a 2-0 home win over Al Adalah
Andrew Marveggio – Macva Sabac (Serbian Super League): Winter break