Coach Jané Talcevski reflects on St George FC’s success and shares his vision for the future
Jané, when you were entrusted with the mission of elevating St George FC to its esteemed position in the NSW Premier League, did you anticipate achieving this milestone in just your second year as Head of Football? Especially considering the additional responsibility you shouldered as the 1st Team coach at the beginning of the season?
When I started the project I knew that the 2 most important requirements were to have the correct staff who shared the same work ethic and a Board who supported us. If a synergy between the Board and Football department exists it would only be a question of when. What is for sure an undertaking of this magnitude doest not solely come down to one person but a team of people working in the same direction and having the culture only accelerates it. It is for this reason it allowed me to step away to certain degree and concentrate on the 1st team.
As we revel in these achievements, what are your projections for St George FC in the coming 12 months?
We must continue to consolidate and build with the motivations and consistencies that have allowed us to arrive here.
The seniors are entering the highest division with some established teams and we need to work hard and be ready to compete whilst approaching the new season with humility to establish ourselves in the league with the aim to be eventually be a dominant club.
In the youth, George Souris and the coaches have been busy driving the recruitment and I am confident we will challenge ourselves and push to finish as high as we can.
We need to understand that in football success is not always linear. Players and people are not a product that you can put on a shelf and it will remain stable. They are dynamic and a lot of environmental factors can contribute to their performance.
Lastly, could you share your forward-looking vision for the club, and the strategic direction you envision to propel St George FC to greater heights?
We keep building where every piece we keep or add has to fit in with the club’s identity. Every decision has to be well thought out and coherent. In last 2 years the foundation has been laid establishing St George Football Club as a club that Attracts, Inspires and Develops talent.
This has been demonstrated with 2 of our players, Franklin Jan making the Joeys and Freddie Clunas being signed to an A League Academy at the Central Coast Mariners.
In the promotion play of we had an average age of 22 and had up to 6 players finishing the game in the 18-20 bracket.
We will need to continue build our knowledge base. We have been fortunate that with every appointment from Mark Milligan to Greg King they have left something behind to build on. In the near future we will look to expand on this and hopefully bring in a some expertise from Europe.
With the 1st team in the NPL it’s a great opportunity for the club to share some of this wonderful history with the league and younger generation.
St George FC is more than a club it’s a tradition.
