A-League and Australian football news LIVE: FFA confirm NCIP will be replaced

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Chris Nikou FFA
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  • Former Wanderer Michael Beauchamp is back with the club he was the first to captain after being named as the academy U20s assistant coach.
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    Beauchamp joins Wanderers coaching staff

    Beauchamp will link up with former teammate Dean Heffernan, who is head coach of the U20's side. 

    “I’m looking forward to the challenge, and sharing my experiences and on how to deal with certain situations,” Beauchamp said. 
     
    “I just really hope I can help them not only along their path of being a better footballer but also a better person.
     
    “I hope that I can instil in them what I live by, that once you get to training and you’re on that pitch that’s it. You can’t think about anything else than doing the best for yourself and for your club, and I hope I can put that across as best as I can in the assistant role.
     
    “I’ve played with Dean Heffernan for most of my career and having the opportunity to now assist him on the coaching side of things is brilliant."

  • Kevin Muscat has revealed Swedish star Ola Toivonen has been battling illness and could miss Victory's clash with Newcastle on Saturday.
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    Toivonen under illness cloud for Victory

    “There’s a chance," Muscat said. 

    “He’s been a little ill over the last couple of days. We’ll monitor that with the doctors and make a decision, taking everything into consideration we’ll see where he’s at."

    Fellow attacker Elvis Kamsoba is also under an injury cloud after hurting his knee in training. 

    “Elvis felt a little bit of pain in his knee," Muscat said.

    "He’s receiving scans and will be in the hands of the physios this afternoon."

  • With their 2018 World Cup coverage issues firmly in the rearview mirror, Optus Sport is out to impress with their comprehensive coverage of the 2019 Women's World Cup.
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    Optus Sport determined to deliver with Women's World Cup coverage

    Women's World Cup

    Kicking off in France on June 7, every single match of the tournament will be shown live on Optus Sport with 40 of 52 matches exclusively shown in Australia via the broadcaster.

    Read the full story here. 

  • The controversial National Club Identity Policy will be replaced, the FFA confirmed on Friday.
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    FFA confirm NCIP changes coming

    After a three month review of the policy, the FFA have decided to scrap the NCIP and replace it with a Diversity and Inclusion Policy that will be finalised shortly.

    "It is important the new policy considers where and how to strike the appropriate balance between promoting openness, inclusivity and diversity on the one hand whilst providing clubs the opportunity to recognise their history and the communities that have contributed to their development on the other,” FFA Chairman Chris Nikou said.

    Key points of the new policy will relate to:

    - The importance of football embracing the wider community and of clubs, as the lifeblood and shopfront of the game, being accessible, embracing and truly representative of their geographical regions

    - Recognition of the heritage of clubs and the significant contribution of particular communities within the broader community to the development of individual clubs and the game as a whole

    - The state of maturity of the game and its clubs and the importance of clubs reflecting the face of modern Australia

    - The imperative for football as a game and its clubs more specifically to meet community standards and expectations, commit to and enact values based on tolerance, openness, diversity and inclusion

    - The need for appropriate measures to ensure commitment by all parties to upholding these shared standards and values

  • Matt Simon will plead guilty to breaching the National Code of Conduct after being sent off for dissent during Central Coast Mariner's 5-2 loss to Brisbane Roar last Friday.
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    Simon: I let the Mariners community down

    Matt Simon Mariners

    The Mariners skipper has written an apology to referee Stephen Lucas and concedes he crossed a line with his actions.

    Read the full story here.

  • The chance to play for Manchester United is something most kids around the world dream about, but for Herbie Farnworth his dream was to play rugby league in Australia.
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    The NRL rookie that left Manchester United to chase rugby league dream

    The British teenager turned out for Brisbane Broncos in recent trials matches and revealed how he turned his back on a potentially successful football career in an attempt to make it in the NRL.

    Read the full story here. 

  • They might be eight points behind A-League leaders Perth Glory, but Sydney FC isn't about to throw away the Premiers Plate without a fight and believe they are in the 'driver's seat'.
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    A-League Rev-Up: Sydney FC in the 'driver's seat'

    Elsewhere this weekend in a split round, Newcastle Jets will be looking to keep their finals hopes alive while Melbourne City faces a massive test on home soil. 

    Read Rev-Up in full here. 

  • Jake McGing has been released by the Mariners to sign for Polish club Wisła Płock.
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    Mariners allow McGing to make European move

    The 24-year-old defender has been with Central Coast since 2015 and couldn't turn down the chance to test himself in Europe.

    “As a young footballer growing up, everyone wants to test themselves in Europe and when this opportunity arose I was very happy to take it," McGing said.

    "The Mariners are my first professional team and I’ve been here for four years now, it’s a place I hold close to my heart and I want to thank everyone at the Mariners for how they’ve welcomed me since I arrived.

    “I want to wish the boys the best of luck for the rest of the season. They are good enough to finish the season strong and hopefully a few results can go our way."

    The Mariners will also lose right-back Matthew Millar at season's end after he agreed to join Newcastle Jets, while Jonathan Aspropotamitis has been linked with a move to Western United. 

  • It now appears to be a matter of when and not if Australian football gets a fully-fledged second division.
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    FFA hoping to move 'quite quickly' on second-division plans

    A National Second Division Working Group comprising of representatives from the Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC), Member Federations, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and FFA met for the first time on Thursday as they got the ball rolling on plans to give the A-League some competitive company.

    Socceroos coach Graham Arnold was also in attendance with FFA director Remo Nogarotto issuing a positive message after the meeting. 

    Read the full story here. 

  • Fringe Socceroos defender Aleksandar Susnjar has sealed a surprise move to K-League 2 club Busan I-Park.
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    Susnjar joins Korean side

    Susnjar, who made his Socceroos debut in March last year, has spent most of his career in Europe and joins Busan from Czech side Mladá Boleslav.

    The 23-year-old clearly eager to impress in Asia and potentially catch the eye of Graham Arnold in the process.

    "I have played in many cities, but the first impression of a city called Busan is the best," Susnjar said of his new side. 

    "Busan is a traditional team with a lot of winning experience and history, and I will try to be a member to achieve the goal of the club."

    Busan have won the K-League four times and finished third in K-League 2 last season - missing out on promotion in a relegation/promotion play-off. 

  • Warren Joyce's side will be without three starting defenders against the league leaders on Sunday.
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    City facing defensive nightmare against Perth, De Silva grounded for Sydney FC

    Ritchie de Laet and Bart Schenkeveld are both suspended, while Harrison Delbridge remains out with a hamstring injury.

    Perth's backline is also somewhat depleted with Alex Grant and Tomislav Mrcela both still injured. 

    Sydney FC meanwhile have been dealt an attacking blow with Daniel De Silva listed for a four-week absence after an elbow hyper extension. 

  • Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren is on the verge of equalling an A-League record set in the 2008-09 season.
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    Maclaren aiming to equal A-League record

    See what record Maclaren is aiming to match.
  • Despite facing a four-year ban for cocaine use while playing football in Turkey, Kerem Bulut remains determined to leave his mark on Australian football.
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    Banned Bulut has A-League and Socceroos in his sights

    Kerem Bulut

    As he attempts to reduce the time he'll spend on the sidelines, the 27-year-old striker has set his sights on a return to the A-League and believes he could even solve the Socceroos' goal-scoring problems.

    In an in-depth interview with Fox Sports' Simon Hill, Bulut also vowed he's done with drugs as he looks to prove people wrong about him. 

    Read the full story here. 

  • Former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou will get the opportunity to manage against Premier League champions Manchester City after a friendly was announced for the off-season.
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    Ange Postecoglou to test himself against Manchester City

    Postecoglou's J-League side Yokohama F. Marinos will host Pep Guardiola's City at the Nissan Stadium on July 27.

    Both teams are owned by City Football Group, the organisation which also has A-League side Melbourne City in their stable.

    The possibility remains that City could also make the trip south to Australia to face their Melbourne sister side in pre-season.

    "The club will announce further fixtures across Asia in the coming weeks," City said in a statement.

  • Western United are reportedly closing in on the signing of Central Coast Mariners centre-half Jonathan Aspropotamitis.
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    Aspro close to joining Western United

    The 22-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and is believed to be considering the switch south, according to The World Game.

    Aspro joined the Mariners from the Wanderers at the start of the season but has only made eight appearances for the Gosford club because of injury issues.

    Mariners coach Mike Mulvey handed Aspro the captain's armband in the 2-0 loss against Wanderers earlier this month.