Words: Michael Flynn
Image: Western Pride FC

Western Pride have announced the highly credentialed Gabor Ganczer as the club’s new Technical Director for the next two seasons.

Ganczer served in the same role at Olympic FC for the first three seasons of PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland before parting ways with the club at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

The 41-year-old starts with his new club later this week following a trip to Sydney where he continues to work towards an AFC Pro-Diploma - the highest level of coaching accreditation issued by the confederation and currently held by only a handful of Queensland-based coaches.

Ganczer previously worked with the national team in his native Hungary, including a stint as match analyst for then coach Lothar Matthaus, and has recently served in an advisory role to Hyundai A-League powerhouse Brisbane Roar.

He said he sees plenty of potential in Pride’s western corridor catchment area and is eager to deliver a pathway to the highest levels for the region’s growing junior base over the final two years of the club’s initial five-year licence period.

“I really believe in the National Premier Leagues pathway and it’s really a feeling for me that Western Pride has a really strong catchment - it is one of the biggest growing areas in the NPL,” he explained.

He said it was important that Pride continues to strengthen the relationship with local community clubs and schools in conjunction with Football Ipswich, owners of the club’s participation licence.

“Western Pride is a representative club of the whole region and is not a committee club on its own,” Ganczer explained.

“I think it represents really well the NPL model, but there is a lot of work still to be done to convince the catchment clubs that we are providing a service for them.”

“Part of my mission is to establish a strong SAP academy as well and to get the basement right and not just the higher age groups.”

He said the foundations of future PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues success across both junior development and senior football are in place at Pride.

“The facilities are second to none at Western Pride and probably the best in greater Brisbane.”

“They have a very forward thinking head coach in Graham Harvey, who trusts the junior product and the youth players and understands the mission statement of the NPL is to give chances to young players,” Ganczer concluded.