The Herb Greedy Hall in Marrickville echoed with hissing and howling.
asserted
Hall → echo → hissing
Members of Marrickville FC – one of the largest community football clubs in Australia – had arrived in their hundreds for an annual general meeting in early December.
asserted
Members → arrive → December
It was an amazing turnout given only 15 people had attended the AGM 10 months earlier.
asserted
people → give → AGM
A faction of parents and coaches had become quietly, then vocally, concerned about the direction of the Red Devils, as the club is affectionately known.
asserted
club → become → Devils
Together, they established Marrickville Community Voice, a group of members whom they hoped would be elected onto the club’s board.
asserted
they → establish → board
The club had transformed from a community organisation into a commercial enterprise where money was the primary issue, one parent involved alleged later.
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parent → transform → enterprise
A notable shift in the culture was evident in the inclusion of bonus performance payments for some junior coaches in 2026, claimed two parents.
asserted
parents → claim → 2026
But after the breakaway faction’s plans became known, supporters of the club’s president Bill Drossos and the management committee rallied, turning out in force to stop what they alleged was an attempt to “overthrow the board”.
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they → know → board
The meeting ran for 80 minutes and, at times, had the decorum of a boxing match.
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meeting → run → match
It would rank among the more controversial days in the club’s 80-year history.
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It → rank → history
Seven parents, former coaches and members spoke to this masthead as part of this story.
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parents → speak → story
All except one did so on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships.
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All → do → relationships
There were questions at the AGM about an alleged lack of transparency about the club’s finances, such as why the commercial terms of a five-a-side competition, run as a joint venture between Marrickville and a company owned by Drossos, appeared shrouded in secrecy?
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terms → be → secrecy
Who should a sporting club be run for?
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club → run → Who
And how much should winning be valued in children’s sport?
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winning → value → sport
It is a microcosm of the modern era: one where more is understood about the cost of prioritising results in children’s football over enjoyment, but where high-performance football squads have proliferated as intensely involved parents, living vicariously through their kids, have pushed them to succeed.
asserted
parents → understand → them
Culture
Tom Engesser, the former technical director of Marrickville FC, personified one of the competing philosophies of coaching children’s sport.
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Engesser → personify → sport
“If something didn’t come off, I had heard him say, ‘Wow that was a really good idea; it may not have come off because your skills don’t match your thinking’,” says a mother who was involved in her son’s Red Devils side.
uncertain
who → come → side
“It wasn’t about winning.
asserted
It → win → winning
He encouraged them to take risks.”
asserted
He → encourage → risks
According to coaches and parents at Marrickville FC, the technical director took a high-level view on coaching.
uncertain
director → accord → coaching
In a game as chaotic and error-prone as children’s football, the obvious temptation is risk mitigation: playing direct and punting the ball long – hopefully to one or two strong, fast and gifted players who score all your goals.
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who → play → goals
Engesser’s approach was different – encouraging players to play more like Spain; passing and controlling possession which invariably causes mistakes.
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which → encourage → mistakes
But the upshot is the development of players, who become infinitely better as they learn by making mistakes.
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they → become → mistakes
When coaches emphasise outcomes, the risk is young players become trapped in a mentality that success is a precondition of involvement.
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success → emphasise → involvement
In contrast, Engesser wanted players to be better thinking footballers and enjoy the game for enjoyment’s sake.
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players → want → sake
He was constantly telling people the peak dropout period for boys in football was when they turned 14 – the age when they realised they wouldn’t make it professionally, the mother says.
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mother → tell → it
“Some parents thought he wasn’t focused enough on winning,” she says.
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she → think → winning
“But he wanted to keep as many kids in the game as possible.
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he → want → game
Then he was gone.
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he → go → ?
A post on Marrickville FC’s Facebook account in June last year notified members that Engesser, who had recently finished coaching the club’s first grade side, had decided after 17 years at the club, he would step down “effective immediately”.
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he → notify → club
The announcement generated an outpouring of support for Engesser.
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announcement → generate → Engesser
“A huge loss for our club and all our players, get him back ASAP before another club grabs him,” read one post underneath the Facebook post.
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post → get → post
Engesser declined to comment.
asserted
Engesser → decline → ?
Not only did Engesser depart, but evidence of a new coaching philosophy emerged.
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evidence → depart → philosophy
Obtained by this masthead, a contract for junior selective development coaches for the most recent winter season stipulates bonus payments would be triggered by various successes: $250 for finishing first, $250 for semi-final qualification, and $500 for a grand final win.
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payments → obtain → win
“Balance player improvement and development with an equal focus on team and match-based success culminating in semi-final qualifications and a grand final championship,” reads a key performance indicator in the contract.
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indicator → balance → contract
Marrickville FC managing director Georgina Kokokiris told this masthead that Engesser had left of his own accord, saying the club offered to expand his role and his departure had “absolutely nothing to do with coaching philosophy”.
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departure → tell → philosophy
She said a “very small percentage” of the club’s teams were coached by paid accredited coaches, and those agreements were commercial in confidence.
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agreements → say → confidence
There were “many aspects in these agreements”, and the club had the “right balance of individual development and support of our juniors”, Kokokiris said.
asserted
Kokokiris → be → juniors
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
