Western United is delighted to announce it has appointed Anthony Frost as Academy Director.
The newly created role plays a significant part in the Club’s vision of developing an elite football academy for all talented players and coaches. Anthony joins the Club with the responsibility of bringing to life a full academy structure, whilst serving as the Head Coach of Western United’s NPL first team in 2022.
Frost brings an abundance of experience and knowledge to the Club, having spent the bulk of his professional career managing elite players and coaches in the state and national pathway. Most recently, Frost spent 6 years in ‘club land’ at Melbourne City in the capacity of Academy Head Coach and Coach Developer.
His experience as a coach educator was highlighted by his time at Football Australia where he undertook the role of National Coach Development Educator, overseeing and delivering the advanced coaching courses in Australia.
Through his time at Football Australia, Anthony also took on the role of the Men’s U20 National Team Assistant Coach. Importantly, Frost brings a broad understanding of the Victorian and Australian football landscape.
Ahead of his arrival in the west, Frost said he is excited to join the Western United project and hopes to continue the good work already being done while bringing his own influence to the Club’s academy.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Western United and to have the opportunity to steer the Club’s academy in a clear direction,” Frost said.
“Establishing Western United as a leader in player development and a place that supports people to achieve their maximum potential is what we are striving for.
“The club has big ambitions but always good people at the heart of everything, which really resonated with me and aligns really nicely to the type of players we want to develop.
“I’m looking forward to starting my role and meeting the staff and players as well as the broader football community in the West.”
Frost’s role will focus on driving Western United’s plans to have a fully operational academy set up by 2023, implementing structures and principles for the Club to follow into the future.
The role will also be crucial in identifying staff and establishing infrastructure within the Club, as well as continuing to identify top young talents, particularly in the west, to be the next stars of the A-League Men and Australian youth squads.
General Manager of Football Mal Impiombato is excited to welcome Frost to the Club and is looking forward to the next phase of the Club’s Academy evolution.
“As part of our strategic plan to establish an elite football pathway for players and coaches, the appointment of an Academy Director was a critical role to fill. We are delighted to appoint someone of Anthony’s ilk to lead and shape the direction of the Clubs Academy,” he said.
“We have set some great foundations in the early parts of our existence and we will now enhance our program to ensure we continue to evolve and improve our practices.
“Anthony will establish the platform and develop the necessary processes and plans to deliver elite professional and personal standards for our players and coaches. This is another milestone in our journey as we aim to provide a destination and home for all talented players and coaches in the West.”
Frost is currently completing his FFA/AFC Professional Diploma, while the club has appointed and retained a number of key staff in the Academy program to prepare for the upcoming NPL 2022 season.