Coaches set to learn from the best
Paul Markou and Jared Patira will spend the two days hearing from experienced coaches and experts in the game and talking footy with around 500 other coaches from around the country .
They will hear from Carlton senior coach Mick Malthouse, three-time Olympic rowing gold medallist Drew Ginn and AFL legends Stan Alves, Gary Ayres, David Parkin and Peter Schwab amongst a litany of other current AFL club coaching and support staff.
Markou has wealth of experience playing football, spending eight years at the Liverpool Eagles where he won five Premierships with two undefeated seasons.
He also played eight years of representative football for Campbelltown Macarthur and was a member of the Under-14s, Under-15s and Under-16s Sydney South representative teams.
He played for the NSW/ACT Rams in the Under-17s and Under-18s National Championships before playing Premier Division with Campbelltown, Western Suburbs and Sydney Hills Eagles.
Markou has spent five years coaching junior hockey with two years coaching the Sydney Representative Under-14s side.
He has two years experience as a professional coach at MLC School, Burwood and is currently a development officer with AFL NSW/ACT.
He has been an assistant coach and runner for Sydney South’s under-16s side and worked with the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy.
Patira has a long association with elite sport, with his grandfather a keen sportsman on the verge of selection for the All Blacks in his native New Zealand.
In 2012 Patira coached a Greater Western Sydney six-week kicking academy for local players. He also coached the Future stars program focusing on non AFL playing talented sports stars.
He was the runner and forwards coach for the undefeated Under-14s Giants Academy team and is currently the Under-15s Assistant Coach for the Giants Academy, closely with Academy manager Lachlan Buszard in talent Identification and player development.
He has completed his Level 1 coaching course and continually attends staff development days focusing on coaching the best ways to teach and develop children to the best of their ability.
He has recently started to coach and run programs at high schools, running the session more like football training with drills and was able to challenge and bring out the competitiveness in the kids.
Markou and Patira are also heavily involved in the Multicultural Athletic Trials in Sydney from February 19-21 and will be part of the Multicultural Talent Camp in April.
To find out more information about the Multicultural Athletic Trials and Talent Camp, please contact Nickie Flambouras on nickie.flamboruas@aflnswact.com.au or by phoning 02 8333 8024.
