our people

. Former Manager Liverpool FC Academy for 19 years he won 2 FA Youth Cups and coached players such as Liverpool & England Captain Steven Gerrard, European Player of the Year Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Joe Cole among many others. 

John was a former technical auditor for Belgian consulting firm Doublepass where he assesses performances of MLS Academies & previously EPL Academies

He holds  UEFA 'A' License, FA Academy Manager's License, FA Youth Coach's Award. M.Ed. Sports Psychology &  Physical Education &  Mathematics. degree. P/G.C.E. Teaching in Physical Education & Mathematics

Roger is a highly respected professor and has published extensively on the subject of Sport for Development. He is the current Dean and Associate Professor of Management Practice at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. 

Roger was educated in the U.K. (PhD in International Development from the University of Plymouth) and South Africa and has taught and researched on a range of subjects including leadership, strategy, ethics and sports management. 

He has led MBA programs in the U.K. (2005-2010) and in Hong Kong (2012-2019). Prior to joining AIT, Professor Levermore worked at Chinese University of Hong Kong (2018-2019) and was Interim Director and held the position of Associate Professor of Business Education & Associate Director at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2012-2018). He was previously Director of Study, University of Liverpool MBA and International Business Research Manager of the Football Industry Group. 

Read here for a list of Rogers articles and publications. 

Technical Director & Head of Individual  Player Development former Asst. Manager Puskas Academy- Hungary. 

"At  the age of 22 I decided to look further outside of Hungary and try to  play football abroad, so I ended up in the USA. I thought that I knew a  lot about the game of football and arrived with more than enough  confident to California. Then I met Gary and Simon Ireland who proved me  the opposite. I had to face the fact that how little I knew about this  game and with their help I opened my mind for learning. That was the  time that I met the real Coerver material- The skills training that Gary  and Simon showed me was a completely different ballgame. Their passion  along with their ability to move on and off the ball combined with the  deep knowledge on real Coerver material had an everlasting impact on my  life in football. So, I watched and listened carefully. We became  teammates at the time, and I started my first steps in coaching under  their supervision. Gary and Simon could work with all different levels  of players regardless their abilities and ages and gender. The way they  show the details of the moves to players was very special. I gradually  became a better player myself just by learning and implementing the  steps of different drills of Coerver. I started enjoying football  trainings in a different way and I found out that football can still  offer a lot. I was able to improve on my weaker foot at the age of 24 by  executing Coerver ball work numerous times every day with both feet. I  became much more comfortable during games as a midfielder to take my  eyes off the ball prior to receiving it regardless which side the  pressure was coming from. I also understood the importance of how to  shield the ball (key points of using the arms, having perfect balance,  shifting bodyweights from one foot onto the other in the right time and  feel the opponent even if he is out of my vision) to keep opponent  distant from the ball and not to lose it while making the necessary  movements to continue the game efficiently. I became addicted to the  real Coerver material and worked and lived alongside of Gary and Simon  for the rest of my life in the USA"

Tom, Gary and our advisory team have been coaching together for 10  years. Tom is one of the most experienced coaches in the history of the  women's game and founder of Australian Women's Soccer. 

.He was a FIFA coach mentor training  women's national team coaches  providing career and strategic advice; 

• Former Head of Women's Football at leading Australian Women's professional team Western Sydney Wanderers
• Coached in 5 FIFA World Cups
• Coached the USA Women's National Teams, Assistant Coach of Canada 
• & Australia  in two FIFA World  Cups; 
• Former head coach NWSL pro team Orlando Pride where he  coached USA soccer star Alex Morgan 5 x World Player of the Year Marta.  
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• w In the men's game he was a scout for Gus Hiddinks Australian Mens  National Team for 5 years & coached in the J-League, Malaysia &  Australia. He was represented by Gary Ireland in contract negotiations  with Orlando Pride and Nigeria National Team.

His coaching experience is extensive:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• USA National team
• Assistant Coach of the Canadian football team (2015 FIFA World Cup)
• Head coach of Orlando Pride 2016-2018 NWSL.  

Tom has coached internationally in most South East Asian nations with the Australian women's national and youth national teams and spent a season coaching men's soccer in Japans J-League as well as extensive experience coaching and playing professionally in Australian soccer. Tom was previously FIFA coach mentor for young national team coaches.

Simon has a long history of charity work in soccer. Many players have benefited from his endeavors, allowing them to play club and college soccer. Read article here.

Founder and current Director of PSV Union FC, a leading girls soccer club in Silicon Valley, CA, developing college, professional, and national team players. 

He was the co-founder of soccer camp, training and tours company World Soccer and co-founder of Academy Soccer, a 1994 World Cup SF Bay Area host committee sponsor. 

Simon was an outstanding professional soccer player on several continents. He played with the 

 He is also a well known professional technical skills development coach and has developed a soccer performance/evaluation/analysis mobile app for youth clubs, coaches and players.

Australian born Simon lends his vast experience to our group. He has an extensive network of federations, leagues, clubs, coaches &  players and helps us collaborate with some of the leading figures in the  global game. He shares player development opportunities  (identification/training/tryouts), leads custom team tours and provides  coach mentoring, including setting up visits to professional clubs. 

He  is a former assistant to Wiel Coerver in Dubai; Founder; PSV Union F.C  and founder of World Soccer.  At 17 years of age he was briefly a standout with New Zealand National Champions, Christchurch United playing alongside 6 players from the 1982 World Cup Finals, scoring a hatrick in his 1st  game; played for Brisbane Lions at 17 after impressing for  Gold Coast senior select team against Brisbane City; he represented  Queensland Men's State Team in Australia, played alongside standout USA  player Roy Wegerle at University of South Florida; he was considered the best youth player at Chelsea FC; Trained at F.C Barcelona U18’s; was  considered one of best players in USA & leading player/sometimes  coach of U.S Open Cup Champions & Concacaf Finalists San Jose Oaks;  MVP/leading scorer Lake Placid Soccer America Tournament; 1 of 3 SF Bay  Blackhawks o/seas players (predecessor of San Jose Clash & San Jose  Earthquakes); and received multiple offers to play in the MLS after being one of the top players in the MLS first round draft. 

A serious ankle break in 1994 forced him out of playing for a select training squad vs. Brazilian National team a the 1994 World Cup; offered contract with Australian Champions St George Budapest; received multiple MLS contract  offers; played in Czech Republic with FK Rakovnik & Sparta Prague  (loaned to Blsany); invited by Crown Prince of Brunei to play at DPMM;  trained at Wimbledon FC (reserves); played for Crystal Palace reserves;  he has helped numerous players gain playing experience & has hired  coaches from Lyon, Wimbledon FC, Liverpool FC, Sparta Prague, Spartak  Moscow, Celtic, Corinthians Sao Paolo, MTK Budapest etc; received visit  from Pele during '94 World Cup; Director of World Soccer European Tours.  During one tour  he beat the dribbling  course record of Chelsea FC legend Gianfranco Zola wearing only street clothes. Simon has received commendations from FIFA, JTB, J League, Czech Football

New Zealand born Paul was a founding Managing Director of sports Academy in Malaysia for 12 years, catering to expats and locals, children and adults with a focus on Soccer, and Karate (4th Degree Black Belt)

Paul graduated from Canterbury University, New Zealand with a Masters degree in Marine Biology, specialising in Commercial Marine Aquaculture. After spending time in academia and the aquaculture business sector, Paul spent 2 years in South-East Asia holding public lectures on the marine environment in conjunction with SCUBA diving instructing. 

Paul has also worked in Corporate Training,  and teaching at English language schools.

Dr Zdenek Sivek has a wealth of experience in global grassroots, youth, amateur and professional football development, cultivating strategic football programs and developing principles of behavior in sport. He has organized football programs in every continent and over 40 countries including recruiting, scouting, coaching, and driving practices as well as education of football coaches, specifically UEFA Pro and A licenses. Zdenek has worked with Gary coaching together since 1990 on multiple occasions. Zdenek hired Gary to assist his work as Technical Director for the Czech Football Assocation's famous performance in the 1990 EUROS in England and has collaborated with Gary on many football projects.

Zdenek held a position with one of the most prominent coaching organizations in the world. 

• Vice President Alliance of European Football Coaches Association (AEFCA), formerly known as UEFT, responsible for the development of coaching & coach education within Europe & worldwide 
• UEFA Technical Instructor responsible for the implementation of UEFA Coach Convention education program
• UEFA Technical Advisor for Oceania Football Confederation'
• UEFA Technical Instructor Conféderation of Africa Football (CAF), developing the CAF Coach Education Program
• UEFA Technical Instructor at Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Ajax, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus
• Technical Observer Czech Republic National Team, analyzed opponents in FIFA & UEFA competitions
• Technical Director Czech Federation Zdenek, responsible for educating all levels of coaches in cooperation with FIFA, UEFA 
• Managed youth international levels of FIFA & UEFA competitions as well as recruiting players for senior national teams as Head Coach for Czech Republic National Teams U15-20 Boys & U16-18 Girls
• Played for Czechoslovakian national team (1956-1960) & Slovan Liberec (1960-1970)

"Gary Ireland helps players develop the highest level of technical and tactical skills and creative ability with strong motivation and psychological emphasis. I have to underline that during my work with Gary over 20 years, I always admired and appreciated his abilities, skills. His demonstrations are always brilliant!"

UEFA Technical Instructor, UEFA Pro Licence course;  Former Technical Director, Czech Football Association

Alberto is the head of Individual Technical Development at ltalian club Juventus FC, one of the leading clubs in history of world football. Considered one of Italy's leading technical coaches, Alberto has a assembled the only team of technical specialists in all Italian clubs, making Juventus FC one of the most progressive youth player development clubs in the world. 

"Alberto has a wonderful, passionate way of articulating and describes the application the content he demonstrates. He has a wonderful approach to teaching that inspires young players and makes them not only to do their best in training, but also inspires them to self practice which is something Carine and I and our advisors live everyday".  

(Gary Ireland) 

Alberto specializes in creating content and modules of technical ball mastery training similar to The Soccerfund Co-Founder's Gary and Ireland, where  developing the individual player is the focus as the "center of the village". He believes in the importance of coaches being able to illustrate the highest levels of demonstrations to young players through high level demonstrations, he focuses on high performing "Golden Players" at Juventus using his unique approach to player development and  individualized training  within the Juventus' Boys Academy structure

Alberto's ambition is to help develop "spectacular" players. He strives to bring back the romantic days of previous generations when players were not only valued for their tactical efficiency and physical power, but for their artistry, innovation and creativity.   

At a world renowned club which has seen the likes of Zidane, Del Pierro, Davids, Pirlo, Bettega, Baggio, Nedved, he has a huge responsibility to transmit his passion for inspiring "spectacular" players.

Gary, Carine and Alberto first met in Hungary in 2022 when they co-presented see link) their beliefs and material as guest of legendary Hungarian club Puskas Academy to over 20 Academy Directors from 7 countries, including national team coaches. They collaborated in Hungary again in 2024 (see link) and Gary and Carine visited Alberto at Juventus in Turin again in 2024. Since then they have had  close friendship and shared vision of football, art, film, teaching and philosophy and enjoy an exclusive global partnership through Alberto's company Art Football and Gary and Carine's Soccerbook Consulting. 

Alberto's world vision of human personal development resonated so much with Gary and Carine that they decided to invite Alberto to the SoccerFund family.  

 "When i first met Alberto, he and i struck up an immediate connection due to our respect for the influence Wiel Coerver had on the football world" (Gary Ireland). 

"My connection with Gary Ireland started up in a beautiful Hungarian spring night, in a very special place from a football standpoint, Budapest, the 'heart of the fifties' for the sport we love so much.

I immediately recognize our closeness in terms of contents and philosophy and more important our soul connections. His relationship with Wiel immediately touched my heart, meeting one of his direct assistants was really a gift for me. I was moved by his humility and passion, for his different level of discussion, for the attention to many details that our work demands and I had the feeling that that moment was special for him too.

From that moment on our relationship simply moved on naturally and we became friends, we both understood, I guess, that these connections are quite rare". (Alberto Lampo-Juventus FC)

Abner has taken his nationally ranked  ECNL teams to the Sand Francisco Bay Area to be trained by us and has coached and trained some of the best national team players and professional players in the world such as Miyama and Marta, when he was voted women’s professional soccer coach of the year and league Champions with LA Sol, as well as the highest levels of youth soccer in the USA. 

USASA Hall of Fame; 2x California Youth Soccer Association  Coach of Year; Head Coach USASA National Team; Region IV Women’s Olympic  Development Program (ODP) Coach; Mentored & developed 13 players to  Professional ranks, 31 to Regional teams & 24 to National teams-  5 in World Cup competition; Head Coach LA Sol in WPS & WPS  All-Star team coach; OC Waves WPSL National Champions coach; WPSL Coach  of the Year; Head Coach LA Sol; President & Technical Director  Laguna Hills Eclipse Soccer Club: Director of Coaching & President  Strikers FC ECNL; Socal Blues U16 ECNL, 2010 pre-ECNL coach

"Gary  and Carine are great developers of talent. As a guest coach on many  occasions I have always enjoyed working with Gary and Carine, as well as  watching the quality of their work I rarely see. Gary and Carine are  both excellent with young players at all different levels. Players are  encouraged to be relaxed on the ball and be creative, even if it means  taking risks at the cost of mistakes. Their energy, professionalism and  attention to details puts them in a whole different category!