Future bright for Perth Glory

With the dawn of the new season just around the corner, Perth Glory have once again set their sights on bringing back the glory days of old. Central to these aspirations is coach Kenny Lowe, who will be leading the Glory for the second consecutive season.

And with pre-season well and truly underway, Perth Glory CEO Jason Brewer recently took time out to chat to From The Stands about the FFA Cup, the objectives for the upcoming A-League season and much more.

From The Stands (FTS): Perth Glory have made it to the round of 16 of the FFA Cup. What do you make of their performances?

Jason Brewer:   From my point of view it’s good to see the team coming together so well early in the season and getting the results that count, in this case being the FFA Cup. The coaching staff are working really hard with the team and by all accounts the players and team are responding to what all at the club are trying to achieve. You can also sense that a really positive team dynamic is being built and that’s great to see.

FTS: What has changed since last season?

Brewer: The club has invested heavily both on and off the pitch and I believe that will pay off as the season starts and goes on. We have brought in several players, and we’ve focussed on attracting experienced and quality players throughout the squad. The coaches have been given the opportunity to build and shape the squad the way they want, and to play the way all Glory fans want to see them play, with attractive football. From the FFA Cup game all who came saw that the team were playing good football, going forward and creating chances.

FTS: Andy Keogh looks the right man for Perth Glory. Three goals in past two matches, is he the right man to lead  from the front?

Brewer: Certainly looks that way. He’s actually scored 4 goals in 4 games. His work rate is phenomenal, he’s cresting the spaces, working hard for the team and that’s great to see.

FTS: After reading (Kenny) Lowe’s comments about the FFA Cup, from a management perspective,  how seriously are you taking this competition?

Brewer: It’s a new cup competition, so why wouldn’t we want to win it! We’re not in this competition for the increased fitness, levels of training or for the very arduous flights and travel. It would be great to win the cup in its first year. The team we put out today was by far the strongest possible and for next round will be even stronger with players returning from injury, All Stars and Young Socceroos duties.

FTS: With only eight teams through already to the round of 16, what do you make of the FFA Cup so far and who would you like to face next round?

Brewer: The cup has got off to a fantastic start and I believe that is down in part to the hard work by the FFA, but also down to some of the fans who’ve got right behind it. That link now in competition between A-League clubs and local state clubs really brings out something special. As a club, we would of course like to take on a state league team in the next round and would like to add more to the passion and overall event. It’s cliché I know but we will take each game, one at a time and aim to improve each and every time.

FTS: What do you aim to achieve for the up and coming season?

Brewer: We have to improve as a club, both on and off the field. We have invested in several professionals off the pitch and our members have already seen how that is improving our performance from an overall administration perspective, from memberships, sponsorships all the way through to our community program and match day events. On the pitch clearly we want to improve on last season, our fans want to see success and want to see good football. The club wants to see that improvement in results and we have backed a very strong and expanded coaching team to deliver on that, not with quick fixes, but rather achieve long terms sustained success.

FTS: What plans are being implemented to ensure long-term success?

Brewer: As a club we have invested heavily in our football department in the off-season, making sure we have the right infrastructure in place for coaching, youth development, talent identification, strength and conditioning, sports science and so on. We know we need to build firm foundations at the club and to do that you need the right people in the right positions, and I am firmly of the opinion that we have that.

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