Vic Jokovic - Football Coach

Why standards matter?

Standards matter because they decide the level of your work, your culture, and the people you influence. Talent, passion, and ambition mean very little if they are not supported by discipline, consistency, and the hunger to keep improving. The standard you accept today becomes the culture you create tomorrow, so if you truly care, you must keep raising the bar.

Vic Jokovic - Football Coach

Proud to give back to my community by helping the next generation grow through sport, healthy living, and strong values, both in Australia and abroad. Respect to every mentor, coach, and educator who shows up every day to make a positive difference.

Why Coaching Workshops Matter: My Experience with Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney

I strongly believe coach education is a vital part of developing football, which is why I always value opportunities to attend workshops such as the recent Tottenham Hotspur session. For me, coaching is a continuous learning process. Regardless of your experience, qualifications or previous success, there is always something new to learn. Football continues to evolve, so it is important to remain open-minded, listen to different ideas and reflect on how they may improve your own coaching environment.

Learning from organisations such as Tottenham Hotspur provides valuable insight into elite player-development systems. However, the greatest value comes from identifying practical ideas that can be adapted and applied within your own academy, club and community.

I enjoy attending coaching workshops because they challenge my thinking, reinforce certain principles and sometimes provide a completely different perspective. Not every idea has to be copied, but every experience can encourage you to question, reflect and become a better coach.

My focus remains on creating positive and demanding learning environments where players are encouraged to make decisions, express creativity and understand the game. My aim is to develop players who are technically capable, tactically intelligent, confident and able to solve problems independently. Player corrections must always come from place of care. I am glad that most European football environments, including Tottenham share the same or similar views on player development. Tonight presents another fantastic learning opportunity, as I’ve been given access to observe Tottenham Hotspur’s first-team training session at Allianz Stadium.

Coaches have a responsibility to keep developing themselves if they expect their players to continue developing. By remaining curious, humble and open-minded, we can provide better experiences for talented players and contribute positively to the wider football community.

Vic Jokovic - Football Coach


Tottenham Hotspur

The Smallest Player on the Pitch Can Still Carry the Greatest Responsibility

There are players you admire for their trophies, and there are rare players who change the way you understand football.

For me, Luka Modrić belongs in that second category.

His journey began through war, displacement and uncertainty. Those circumstances should never be romanticised. I understand that, because my own childhood was shaped by similar experiences. Luka's response revealed his character, hardship did not take away his humility, imagination or love for the game. It developed resilience without bitterness, authority without arrogance and competitiveness without theatre.

He was not the biggest, strongest or earliest-developed player.

He could not overpower opponents, so he learned to outthink them. He could not rely on strength to escape pressure, so he learned to recognise it before it arrived. He could not dominate through size, so he learned to control rhythm, space and tempo.

That is why his career should be studied by every coach, academy director and talent scout. How many young players are overlooked because their bodies have not developed as quickly as those around them? How often do we reward the player who dominates physically today while missing the player who may control the game tomorrow?

Modrić proved that physical development and football development are not the same thing.

People admire his passing, but his genius began before he received the ball. The awareness of pressure. The first touch that removed an opponent and opened the next line.

He did not wait for space.

He created time inside pressure.

That is midfield intelligence at the highest level.

Luka did not simply move the ball. He moved the opposition in order to move the ball. One pause could open space. One movement could attract pressure. One change of tempo could transform possession into attack.

And he was never only an artist. He pressed, recovered, tracked runners, competed and continued demanding possession when fatigue had reduced the courage of others.

At Real Madrid, these qualities made him historic.

For Croatia, Luka became the footballing and emotional identity of a nation. His leadership was never theatrical. It was built through responsibility, consistency, humility, courage.

We must look beyond size, strength and early physical maturity. We must recognise awareness, decision-making, composure and courage under pressure.

The purpose of youth development is to develop players capable of solving the game’s most difficult problems years later.

Do not judge only what a player is today. Understand what that player could become.

That is talent identification.

Luka Modrić proved that humility does not reduce authority, leadership does not require theatre and intelligence can defeat pressure.

The smallest player on the pitch can still carry the greatest responsibility.

Luka, congratulations on an extraordinary career.

What a footballer.

Vic Jokovic - Football Coach
Luka Modrić

Australia’s loss is about a ceiling, not a lack of character

Australia competed. Australia ran, fought, stayed organised and remained in the contest. But knockout football is not won through survival alone.
It is won through control, creativity and ex*****on in decisive moments.
Australia remained competitive against Egypt, but never consistently imposed itself on the match. This was not a failure of effort.

It exposed current developmental ceiling.
Australia does not lack hard-working players. It lacks enough match-winners.

What is required:
No.10s who can receive under pressure, turn and create.
More wingers who can eliminate defenders in 1v1 situations and combinations.
Midfielders who can dictate tempo, progress the ball and control matches.
Strikers who can convert one decisive opportunity.
Players who can recognise problems and adapt without waiting for instructions.

Organisation keeps you competitive.
Individual quality decides the biggest matches.

Australian football has traditionally valued physical development, discipline, tactical compliance and work rate. Those qualities matter and should remain part of the identity. But they cannot come at the expense of imagination, technical competence, perception and courage on the ball.
Too often, the player who is bigger today is selected ahead of the player who may understand the game better tomorrow. That approach can win youth matches, but it will waste a lot of high level potential.
It does not produce top end professional players capable of deciding World Cup matches.

The next step is producing players who can recognise when the plan is no longer working and influence the game themselves.

Australia must:
Protect technically gifted late developers.
Provide more meaningful contact with the ball.
Use futsal, small-sided games and individual technical programs.
Coach scanning, perception and improve decision-making, not only patterns.
Make elite development more accessible.

At international level, opponents disrupt your structure. The prepared solution or scenario disappears. Players must then recognise, adapt and execute under pressure.
The Socceroos’ mentality has always been one of the greatest strengths.
But mentality without stronger technical authority has a limit.
The next breakthrough will not come from asking Australian players to run harder. They already run. It will come from developing players who:
See earlier. Think faster. Receive better. Execute cleaner. Create under pressure. Take responsibility. Australia must stop confusing competitiveness with completeness.

As football leaders, our responsibility is not simply to win the next youth match. It is to develop players who can decide the biggest match on the world stage.

Those will emerge through superior technical competence, deeper game understanding, intelligent decision-making, quality selection and the freedom to become different. This is what I try to do with dedicated players every single day.

Vic Jokovic - Football Coach

Euro Tour 2026 — The Journey Begins

Preparation begins this weekend for an extraordinary football journey across four European countries.
Our players will train and compete against leading European academies, play high-level international matches, experience different football cultures and test themselves in environments where every decision, movement and moment matters.
This is more than a tour.
It is a rare opportunity to challenge yourself against elite opposition, showcase your talent, grow as a player and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Opportunities like this are not created by chance. They are made possible through years of trust, relationships and an extensive professional football network across Europe.
Four countries. Elite academies. Unforgettable matches. One extraordinary experience.
Only at Ultra Football Academy.
Unmatched access. Unmatched development. A lifetime of memories.
Our 10th academy season will be truly special.
Around the same time in Sydney, our teams will start another great summer season.



Vic Jokovic - Football Coach
Ultra Football Academy

Eagles Nest – 10th Anniversary Edition

Our special Eagles Nest 10th Anniversary Magazine is now available for pre-order.

This is more than another academy magazine. It is a celebration of our journey, our players, our families and the people who have helped shape Ultra Football Academy over the past decade.

The issue will look back on ten years of development, memories, milestones and unforgettable football experiences. It will also feature a special interview with former Socceroo Danny Vukovic.

Print numbers will be based strictly on paid pre-orders only, so please secure your copy before the deadline.

Pre-order deadline: 30 July

Order here:
https://square.link/u/VIELNjLZ

A decade of development.
A decade of memories.
One special anniversary edition.

Japan: A Football Nation the World Must Respect

Of all the nations in the AFC region, Japan is the football team that deserves to be respected above everyone else.

Their success is not accidental. It has been built through long-term vision, serious investment, elite coach education and an unwavering commitment to technical player development. Japan’s 100-year football plan proves that they are not building for one tournament or one generation, they are building a lasting football culture.

Japan has become Asia’s clear frontrunner in developing and exporting players to European football. Their players compete with intelligence, technical quality, discipline, humility and courage at the highest level.

It was a pleasure to watch them at this World Cup. Their technical ability, collective effort, respect and gratitude represented everything that is beautiful about the game.

Japan is not only a team to admire. It is a football nation and culture from which the entire AFC region and the wider football world should learn.

I look forward to visiting Japan in the near future, discovering more about its football system, its culture and its people.

For every true football admirer who respects quality, dedication, humility and genuine love for the game, Japan will always be a nation worthy of the highest respect.

サムライブルー、本当に素晴らしかったです。心から敬意を表します! Japan Football

Vic Jokovic - Football Coach

Difference Between Australian and European Youth Football

Over the past 15 years, I have watched and coached youth football in Australia and overseas across different age groups and development environments.

The biggest difference is not physical capacity.
It is technical preparation, speed of thought and understanding of the game.

In strong European environments, technical competence ,recognising space and contributing to the collective game is expected in every position.

That is why the speed of play is higher. They see situations earlier, position themselves better and make decisions sooner. Their ex*****on is stronger because many continue working on their technique outside team training.
Players are taught that football is a collective effort. When a teammate is in a better position, the ball must move. They learn when to support, accelerate the play and take responsibility. These standards are non-negotiable.

Creativity is still encouraged. Players can dribble, take opponents on and express themselves when the situation demands it. The key is understanding when individual action helps the team and when the collective solution is stronger.

That is football intelligence.

Creativity and discipline are not opposites. The best environments develop both.

Development grows through responsibility, communication, relationships and understanding how one decision affects everyone else. Everything begins with respect: for teammates, coaches, staff and the collective objective.

Coaching is not supervising drills. It is leading, educating, correcting, demanding accountability and helping players understand why the right decisions matter. Selfish actions that damage the team must be addressed, while intelligent collective decisions must be recognised. Without accountability, standards disappear.

These values also begin at home. My respected colleague Tom Byer states that football starts at home. This applies not only to touches on the ball, but also to the attitudes and habits children bring into their clubs.

Player instructions, can confuse players, undermine coaches and encourage personal recognition over the correct team decision. Support should build confidence, humility, responsibility and respect.

Coaches must set the standards, make decisions and create an environment where actions carry consequences.

When technical development, intelligent coaching, family support and strong team values align, players become technically stronger, make better decisions and play with greater maturity. Results follow naturally, and players become better prepared for higher-level football.

Australia has talent.

The real challenge is creating more environments and developing more coaches capable of turning that talent into intelligent, courageous and complete footballers.

Vic Jokovic - Football Coach

Why Australia Must Develop More Creative and Technical Players

If Australia wants to produce more players of the quality of Harry Kewell, Marco Bresciano or Vince Grella, we must place greater value on the development of creative, technical and naturally gifted footballers.

Technical players, playmakers and players with high football intelligence require more than general team training. They need to be identified early, properly supported and developed over the long term through position-specific work, cognitive challenges, technical repetition, small-sided games and high-quality mentoring.

There is an important difference between genuinely coaching a player and simply supervising a session.

Running generic drills may keep players active, but it does not automatically improve their understanding of the game. The best development environments challenge players to scan, make decisions, solve problems, receive under pressure, play between lines, create space and understand the demands of their position.

Australia did, at one stage, adapt elements of the Dutch development model. However, in my view, the model was never fully understood or implemented consistently. One reason is that there has not been enough investment in the personal and professional development of coaches.

A methodology is only as strong as the people delivering it.

I was fortunate to learn and develop within the Dutch model and through Ajax methodology. Last September, I was also fortunate to be a guest of AZ Alkmaar, recognised as one of Europe’s leading youth academies, where I had another opportunity to expand my knowledge of long-term player development.

Over the past several years, I have worked with a number of talented young players through ULTRA.PRO technical sessions, position-specific development and small-sided formats such as futsal. The purpose has always been to help young Australian players improve their technical ability, decision-making and confidence so they can compete more effectively with their peers in Europe.

Australia must value these players more.

Goalscorers often receive the attention and recognition, but people who truly understand football at higher levels are always searching for creative playmakers with exceptional technique, awareness and football intelligence. These are the players who connect the team, control the tempo, create opportunities and solve problems when matches become difficult.

Technical talent should not be taken for granted. It must be recognised, protected, challenged and developed properly over many years.

If Australia wants to take the next step as a football nation, developing more creative and intelligent players cannot remain an afterthought. It must become a priority.

Vic Jokovic - Football Coach