After Football Federation Victoria (FFV) Technical Director Sean Douglas met with Rudy, he put him in touch with Eastern FC who were more than happy to offer Rudy the coaching role of their under 15 girls team.

Rudy Priyambada came to Australia from his native Indonesia with the hopes of furthering his development as an elite coach. He had no idea what to expect, least of all being put in charge of an elite girls team in the Victorian Champions League (VCL).

Rudy was full of praise for the Victorian Champions League, saying that having the best players continuing to play the game over summer will have a huge impact on player development.

“The VCL is very good for young players, it’s excellent. It’s a good long term program because kids are playing for the whole year,” said Rudy.

“It’s helpful for the kids to learn the curriculum. I’ve studied the curriculum and Australian football and I’m very impressed.”

Eastern FC Head Coach Huss Skenderovic said that after talking with Rudy it was clear that he had a passion for coaching and was keen to get onboard.

“Rudy is a great character, he is keen to learn and is just a great communicator,” said Huss.

“He’s been very good so far. The feedback from parents has been good. They say they’ve never seen their kids play such attractive football.

“This is a credit to everyone involved who helps the kids play to the National Curriculum.”

Rudy passed his AFC C Licence coaching course in Malaysia and as the top coach in the course, he was selected for AFC’s Project Future.

The aim of Project Future is to provide the best young coaches and referees in the Asian region with the latest football knowledge. This is a long term developmental program aimed at further developing football in the region.

“In my country there are not many expert coaches. I look at young coaches like Mourinho and Villas-Boas and they are my inspiration. I want to be like them one day,” said Rudy.

“Project Future gives us more of an opportunity to learn evaluation of the game. We studied the World Cup and Asian Cups to see what the trends are in the top teams.”

Rudy will take his B Licence course later in the year which he hopes will bring him closer to his dream of coaching at the top level.

“Maybe I can go to any country in Asia and then I want to become a professional coach with a professional team,” said Rudy.

“I’d like to thank FFV for giving me the chance to work with the kids especially in the VCL. I hope I can learn a lot from my time here and that I can share some of what I know with the kids.”

Rudy is looking for work and accommodation while in Australia. If you are able to assist please contact Sean Douglas on sdouglas@footballfedvic.com.au