Phil Beale appointed Football Mid North Coast general manager

The Beales arrived in Port 12 months ago on November 2, looking for a change of lifestyle.

The 40-year-old has an extensive background in football in the UK that includes being part of the senior management team at Ipswich Town FC, where he was the manager of recruitment at the club. He had up to 25 staff and worked with both local and international clubs recruiting players of all ages.

However, he is also a trained paramedic and he thought employment in his new home would be in this field.

Then the job at FMNC became available when Bruce Potter resigned due to health reasons. Mr Beale jumped at the opportunity.

"I wanted to be involved with football again,'' he said.

"When we moved to Port I thought my footballing days were behind me, then the job came up, I applied for it and here I am.''

He's been in the job for just over a week and admits it has been a whirlwind.

"But I'm loving it and I've met some great people,'' he said.

He said the demographics with the Football Mid North Coast Zone, that stretches roughly from Gloucester to South West Rocks, are similar to those he worked with at Ipswich FC.

"Where I worked in the United Kingdom had a range of social demographics within it, bordering on East London right through to leafy middle class Suffolk. That's similar to the Mid North Coast, '' he said.

"I'm just into this position so I'm just getting to know all the areas. I've been in the country for 11 months and I've been involved with coaching my son's under 14 team (Iona) last season, so I've got to know great people involved in all the different areas.

"Everyone I've met has been a pleasure to deal with. They're passionate about football.''

He concedes that unlike the UK, football isn't God in Australia.

"Football is the number one sport in the United Kingdom,'' he said.

"But football in Australia is the biggest participation sport at grassroot level. Northern NSW released figures this week to show the participation is up 19 or 20 per cent on last year. Everyone clearly loves their football and that's the same where I've been anywhere in the world.''

One of Football Mid North Coast's most pressing issues, at least at senior level, is to expand the number of clubs involved in the revamped Premier Football League. Last season five contested the competition - all from the Hastings/Macleay.

Mr Beale wants more clarification on the matter before he is willing to comment.

"There's a multitude of things going on that I need to be bought up to speed on,'' he said.

"I'm seven and a half days into a new job so I'm not going to have an opinion on everything just yet or be in a position to talk about it in a manner that it deserves.

"It will be a case of coming up to speed with everything.''

He remains confident the success of the Matildas in this year's women's World Cup in Australia will be healthy for the code at all levels.

"What a brilliant tournament it was,'' he said.

He said he's spoken to sports store proprietors in the Hastings who say there has been a spike in selling football merchandise since the World Cup.

"They said everybody wants to be a soccer player - as much as it pains me to use the term soccer,'' he said with a laugh.

He said the move to Australia was mainly for quality of life.

"It's been unbelievable, so far we've got everything we wanted from moving to Australia,'' he said.

However he concedes he supported England in the recent international against Australia, won by England 1-0.

"I'm delighted to be in Australia, but I'm 40 years born and bred in England, so I think it is only fair to say that I'm barracking for England at this stage.''

Football Mid North Coast chairman Lance Fletcher said he knows Mr Beale will bring his expertise to the Mid North Coast football community.

He also congratulated Bruce Potter on the amazing job he did while at FMNC.