The ProPlayer Podcast

"tired of never getting to hear from the Ref!!!" Well, that all changes right now... Mark R. Halsey is an English retired professional football [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football] referee [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referee_(association_football)]who was born in Welwyn Garden City [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welwyn_Garden_City], Hertfordshire [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertfordshire], later based in Bolton [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton], Greater Manchester [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Manchester]. Halsey primarily refereed in the Premier League [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League] from 1999 to 2013 and was on the league's list of Select Group Referees [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Select_Group_Referees] from its creation in 2001 until his retirement. His first Premier League appointment was a fixture between Wimbledon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimbledon_F.C.] and Coventry City [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_City_F.C.] in August 1999 and over the course of his professional career he refereed a number of notable matches, including the FA Community Shield [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_FA_Community_Shield] in 2007 and the 2008 final of the Football League Cup [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Football_League_Cup_Final]. In 2009 Halsey underwent chemotherapy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemotherapy] to treat a cancerous tumour in his throat. He returned to refereeing in the top-flight in 2010. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_in_English_football]. Today he joins us on the Pro Player Podcast to give us the referees perspective or what it takes to officiate a Premier League football match. He also shares his honest opinions on technology in football, VAR and the future development of the worlds most popular game. Never one to shy away from his authentic self, Mark is a living, breathing lesson in the importance of knowing yourself and leading from the front. A must listen for aspiring coaches and those already in the industry.

Stuart McLaren is a Scottish-Australian football [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football] player and coach, who is currently assistant coach for the Northern Ireland national women's team [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_women%27s_national_football_team]. As a player Queensland Roar [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Roar_FC] signed McLaren on a short-term contract in early November 2005. He was signed due to Josh McCloughlan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_McCloughlan]'s injury, playing as a defender as he did when he was a former player-coach with the Brisbane Strikers [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Strikers_F.C.] in the NSL in Australia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Soccer_League]. He was then signed as a permanent player and regularly played in the starting eleven, occasionally captaining the Queensland Roar [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Roar_FC]. McLaren left Australia in early 2011 returning to the United Kingdom to be nearer his place of birth with his family. In June 2011, he was appointed as head of Football at the world renowned Loughborough University in England [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughborough_University_F.C.]. Following a very successful stint in British University Sport, McLaren began his journey in mens professional football when he was appointed manager of Stirling Albion [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_Albion_F.C.] in November 2014, where he experienced relegation from Scottish League One [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_League_One] at the end of the 2014–15 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014%E2%80%9315_in_Scottish_football] season. He left Stirling Albion by mutual consent in September 2016, following a 4–0 defeat by Elgin City [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_City_F.C.]. In October 2018, McLaren was appointed by the Scottish Football Association [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Football_Association]to be a national youth team coach, with responsibility for the Scotland U16 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland_national_under-16_football_team] team. McLaren was appointed interim manager of the Scotland women's national football team [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland_women%27s_national_football_team] in January 2021 where he remained in the role until the appointment of permanent manager Pedro Martinez Losa [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Mart%C3%ADnez_Losa] at the end of 2021. In January 2022, one of the legacy football clubs from Glasgow, Scotland called on him. Celtic [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_F.C.] announced McLaren had joined them as their under-18s manager. He is here to share all that experience and knowledge with aspiring coaches and to offer strength and support to people already in the industry.

Football Australia is pleased to advise the appointment of highly regarded coach and women’s football specialist, Rae Dower, to the role of Technical Director – Women’s Football. Dower, who is also Head Coach of the Australian U-17 Women’s National Team – a position she will retain alongside this newly created position at Football Australia – will provide a position of leadership on women’s football matters relating to pathways, competitions, national teams, coach development, and participation. In her role as Technical Director – Women’s Football, Dower will also deliver advice on technical matters across the women’s game to all parts of the governing body, encompassing women’s national teams (senior and youth) and programs including pathways through to Future Matildas. Additionally, Dower will provide expertise in the implementation of the women’s football development elements of Football Australia’s XI Principles for the future of Australian football. Upon making the appointment, Football Australia Chief Football Officer, Ernie Merrick, said the creation of this role reflects the ambition of the governing body and its focus on the growth and development of the women’s game from grassroots to the elite throughout Australia. Rae is 18 months into her newly designed role with Football Federation of Australia. She is not just an ambassador for our sport but someone who represents everything thats right with the game, coaching, dealing with adversity and she is for sure leaving it better than she found it. Rae has done it all and remains at the pinnacle of the sport in a country that loves sport as much as anyone in the world. She joins us from Brisbane, Australia and tackles the real issues head on in this amazing special episode of the Pro Player Podcast. She goes deep into "being the only woman in the room", stepping outside your comfort zone, empowering people within the high performance team, bringing experience from outside football to aid decision making, following your passion and life in this industry. The game in Australia is clearly in great hands as you will hear from our extended special episode....

Someone who needs no introduction. FA WSL legend and England Lioness great Jade Moore joins us on a very special episode of the Pro Player Podcast. Jade talks everything from her glittering career all round the world, representing England at Major tournaments like the FIFA Womens World Cup and her important role as Cardiac Risk in the Young Ambassador. Jade is authentic as she is inspiring - enjoy this very special extended episode... Cardia Risk in the Young https://www.c-r-y.org.uk [https://www.c-r-y.org.uk] Preventing young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening and research, and supporting affected families Cardiac Screening [https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/screening] CRY offers subsidized ECG and Echocardiogram screening to all young people between the ages of 14 & 35 in the UK. There is a simple way to diagnose most cardiac abnormalities. This is by having an ECG (electrocardiogram) test. Results should be read by a cardiologist. For extra clarity an Echocardiogram (ultrasound scan) can also be done.If there has been a young (under 35) sudden death in the family, the family is entitled to be screened on the NHS. All of CRY’s public events are free to attend.

We kick off our special episode series with this offering in partnership with "Coachbetter" Team management, performance tracking, educational resources, and more – our app will elevate your coaching skills to the next level. Reimagine soccer success with coachbetter and redefine your team's journey to excellence today. https://www.coachbetter.com [https://www.coachbetter.com] Special guest host Mark Sampson is Chief Football Officer at Coachbetter. Mark is an accomplished leader in both sporting and business environments. A UEFA Pro Licence Coach with over 20 years experience in elite football at both youth and senior level in the make and female game. Achieved success at the highest level of the women’s game leading the National Team of England to the World Cup Bronze medal in 2015 and reaching two FA Women's Cup Finals and UEFA Women's Champion’s League at club level. Combined with experience as a first team manager and Academy Manager in the EFL. Founded and ran own business for ten years while working as a head coach in football and now part of the executive team at SAAS company "coach better". Playing a key role in the companies growth and most recent investment round of over $4 million. Delve into UEFA Euro 2024 with Mark and and David (The Pro Player Podcast) as they talk all things Euro 2024, their own major tournament football experiences and implications for elite coaches everywhere in this special hour long episode that will get you thinking about your own practice and leave you glad you tuned in... The first 0f 6 special episodes of the Pro Player Podcast to round out the summer of 2024 for you.