No two pathways into professional football look the same. Honest stories for young players, parents and coaches.

Every Monday, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional footballers, coaches and people building full-time careers in the game, and goes back to where it started: the first touch, the first rejection, the sacrifices nobody posts about, and the moment it turned professional.

Marcus Younis lost two years to injury between 14 and 16, then went on to the A-League and PSV Eindhoven. Daniel Georgievski played Champions League nights against Chelsea with Dinamo Zagreb. Football Ferns goalkeeper Erin Nayler shares a decade as a professional abroad. Zac Sapsford went from the NPL at Hakoah to walking out at Celtic Park with Dundee United. Kealey Adamson went from NPL 2 to a contract at QPR. Brody Sams reached the NWSL as a goalkeeper coach without ever playing professionally. Daniel Cappellaro turned futsal into a career that took him to the UEFA Futsal Cup and into FIFA Street. Dario Vidosic stopped making Queensland teams as a teenager, then played in the Bundesliga with Nürnberg. And Socceroo John Iredale left Sydney FC at 17 for Heerenveen, played alongside Omar Marmoush at Wolfsburg, and is now scoring goals in South Korea's K League 1.

For players: hear how professionals handled being cut, injured, overlooked or homesick, and what they would do differently if they were your age again.

For parents: understand the real pathway beyond the highlight reels, from NPL and A-League academies to trials overseas, and learn how to support your child through every high and low.

For coaches: get honest insight into what academies look for, how players develop, and what Australian football can learn from Germany, the Netherlands, Asia and the US.

Also on the show: Will Kennedy, Nicolai Müller, Joshua Laws, Kiara De Domizio, Alexander Fuchs, Lloyd Owusu, Claudio Fabiano, Sammy Iredale, Daniel Solsky and UBF.

New episodes every Monday. Follow the show so you never miss one, and share it with one player or parent on the journey.

Every episode, guest and chapter: https://www.firsttouchtofirstteam.com

Enjoy your football journey!

Dario Vidosic stopped making Queensland teams as a teenager, then went from Brisbane Roar to the Bundesliga with 1. FC Nürnberg and the Socceroos.

Between 13 and 16, Dario stopped making Queensland teams, never made the Queensland Academy of Sport, and was one of the last to go into the AIS. His dad's advice: keep working, keep enjoying it. As a late developer he had to rely on technique to beat bigger, faster players, and it paid off when he scored on his A-League debut for Queensland Roar.

From there it was a trial and a contract at 1. FC Nürnberg in the Bundesliga, learning every day from Marek Mintál and Zvjezdan Misimović. Dario explains how Germany's youth reform gave players like Ilkay Gündoğan, Toni Kroos and Mesut Özil their chance, and why Australia's young players, now playing 50 or 60 professional games before 18, are better prepared to go overseas.

He shares what young players should be ready for when they move to Europe, why three sessions a week with Pep Guardiola still would not be enough, and how Pep's Barcelona turned him into a coach, from the Melbourne City academy to Brighton in the Women's Super League.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro: scoring on debut, missing Queensland teams and Bundesliga matchdays

01:12 Episode 20: Dario Vidosic, Socceroo, Bundesliga player and Brighton coach

03:12 Who is Dario Vidosic: from Brisbane and the Socceroos to coaching in England

04:27 First touch: arriving from Croatia aged two and growing up at Brisbane Croatia

06:38 Childhood idols: Roberto Baggio on VHS, Ronaldo, Batistuta and The World Game

08:06 A late developer: missing Queensland teams, the AIS and signing with Queensland Roar

12:21 No two pathways are the same: Matt Leckie, Eberechi Eze and loving the game

14:28 What it takes to play at the top now: Premier League physicality vs technique

16:41 From Brisbane Roar to 1. FC Nürnberg: the trial, Bundesliga matchdays and the Fürth derby

20:17 Lessons from a pro career: discipline, extra work after training and earning your luck

23:43 Learning from Marek Mintál and Misimović, and what Germany's youth reform means for Australia

30:12 Why three sessions a week with Pep isn't enough, and what to expect when you move overseas

39:40 What he'd do differently, Ronaldo's mentality, and why Pep's Barcelona made him a coach

47:29 Is Hansi Flick's Barcelona back to its best? Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Pedri

49:44 From Melbourne City to Brighton: the jump to the Women's Super League

52:12 A-League Women vs the WSL: 15-year-old Shelby McMahon and learning the hard way

54:58 Young players in the A-League: from the Del Piero era to Lucas Herrington's move abroad

1:08:24 Stoppage Time Questions: an Olympic qualifier in North Korea

1:09:56 Best player he shared a pitch with: Luka Modrić

1:10:49 Learning German at Nürnberg and French in Switzerland

1:13:08 The moment he'd relive: scoring on his Queensland Roar debut, and beating Arsenal with Brighton

1:16:54 Why the friendships last longer than the results

1:20:12 Final advice: love the ball, chase the dream and learn from people who've done it

From First Touch to First Team is the podcast for young football players, parents and coaches. Every episode, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional players, coaches, and people building lives around football, and unpacks the real journeys behind the game.

Want to leave a question for one of the next guests?https://firsttouchtofirstteam.com/ask/

Follow the show, leave a rating, and send this to one player or parent on the journey. Enjoy your football journey!

Melbourne City academy coach Daniel Cappellaro on skill acquisition, the weak foot, and why Australian football needs more technique.

In Part 2, Daniel moves from his playing career to coaching. He explains why technical skill and skill acquisition are two completely different things, why so few Australian players spend time alone with the ball, and what he sees when Melbourne City scouts 2014 and 2015 born players.

We compare Australia with Japan and with Bundesliga U17 players, and look at the Australians making their way in Europe now, from Lucas Herrington and Nestory Irankunda to Alessandro Circati and Jordan Bos. Daniel explains why 15-year-old A-League academy players are relearning their weak foot, how the NPL ladder rewards early developers, and why a young Thierry Henry was told at Clairefontaine to stop using his speed.

He also lays out how he would build a complete player from 8 to 18, what Melbourne City's academy looks for, and why so many families keep switching clubs. Plus Tim Cahill, Falcão, and what Harry Kewell told him about coming back from injury.

From First Touch to First Team is the podcast for young football players parents and coaches. Every episode, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional players, coaches, and people building lives around football, and unpacks the real journeys behind the game. The goal is simple: to give young players and their parents the education, the honest stories, and the perspective they need to navigate the pathway to professional football.

Whether you are a young player chasing the dream, a parent supporting one, or a coach shaping the next generation, this episode is essential listening for anyone who has ever wondered what a life in football can look like beyond the pro contract.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro: "Technical skill and skill acquisition are completely different things"

00:31 Part 2: coaching, skill acquisition and what Melbourne City looks for

02:02 Why Australia needs more technique: Harry Kewell, Herrington, Irankunda, Circati and Bos

04:33 Lessons from Japan, and why A-League academy players lack the foundations of a Bundesliga U17

08:19 Why so few Australian players train alone with a ball, and what you can do with a wall

11:14 What Melbourne City sees when scouting 2014 and 2015 born players

13:32 Is social media skills training useless? JJ Gabriel, Rayan Cherki and Kevin De Bruyne

17:48 One-to-one coaching too early and the bad habits it builds

19:09 Why A-League academy players relearn their weak foot, and how the NPL ladder plays a part

22:59 An ideal world: grouping players by maturation age, not birth year

24:54 Advice for late and early developers, and Thierry Henry's "stop using your speed"

28:20 Building a complete player from 8 to 18: Daniel's age-by-age plan

31:02 Why players keep switching clubs, and the environment that made them good

33:53 What Melbourne City's academy looks for: 2v1 moments and when to take more touches

37:05 Stoppage Time Questions: Tunisia, Tim Cahill, Falcão and the UEFA Futsal Cup

42:01 Final advice: love the ball, and what Harry Kewell told him about injuries

Jan and the Eleade Fussball coaches help young Australian players bridge the gap between team training and individual development, so they can reach the highest level possible. Individual and group sessions with a cognitive focus, game analysis, and performance testing, all built around the individual player.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firsttouchtofirstteam/

Follow the show, leave a rating, and share this with one player or parent on the journey.

Enjoy your football journey!

Daniel Cappellaro, known as D10, on his journey from Perth to FIFA Street, professional futsal in Spain and England, and the UEFA Futsal Cup.

Daniel did not touch a football until he was eight, on a family trip to Italy where his cousin played in Serie C. Back in Perth, he chose Armadale Soccer Club purely because they trained twice a week instead of once.

What followed was West Ham's Hammers Academy in Western Australia, a scholarship at John Curtin Soccer Excellence, and a pathway that barely existed. No A-League academies. State teams that appeared and disappeared. His references were Stan Lazaridis and Harry Kewell, recorded off The World Game onto VHS.

Then futsal found him at eleven, through a low bounce ball a coach had picked up from a guy in Leeds. It took him to Argentina, Spain, England, a Champions League campaign with a Scottish club, and eventually Melbourne, where he now coaches in the Melbourne City academy. Along the way he became one of sixteen unlockable characters in FIFA Street, played against Falcão and alongside Douglas Costa, and met Neymar in Brazil.

Part 1 is his journey as a player. Part 2 covers coaching: skill acquisition, the weak foot, and what Melbourne City's academy looks for.

From First Touch to First Team is the podcast for young football players, parents and coaches. Every episode, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional players, coaches, and people building lives around football, and unpacks the real journeys behind the game. The goal is simple: to give young players and their parents the education, the honest stories, and the perspective they need to navigate the pathway to professional football.

Whether you are a young player chasing the dream, a parent supporting one, or a coach shaping the next generation, this episode is essential listening for anyone who has ever wondered what a life in football can look like beyond the pro contract.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro: "I was a professional futsal player and I travelled the world"

03:23 Who is Daniel Cappellaro: Melbourne City U14s coach and former pro futsal player

04:51 First touch at eight: discovering football on a family trip to Italy

07:31 West Ham's Hammers Academy and John Curtin Soccer Excellence

09:22 A critical father and the "what's next" mentality

10:21 The Perth pathway in the 1990s and Frank Arok's Future Glory

12:17 No clear path but real references: Stan Lazaridis and Harry Kewell

14:46 The Perth pathway today: NPL, Football West and two A-League academies

19:42 Why young players should still study Denilson, Rivaldo and Romario

22:23 A late developer obsessed with out-teching the next team

24:54 How he learned: watch it on VHS, then find street football

27:49 Futsal and NPL side by side, and four months in Argentina

29:44 FIFA Street, Spain, England, the UEFA Futsal Cup and Melbourne City

33:51 Champions League nights, video games, homesickness and money

35:06 Leaving Perth Glory for Spain with no European passport

41:34 Where social media fits into the story

46:12 The 2016 tutorial that hit 80,000 views and deals with Nike and Adidas

49:40 Consistency, timing and blind faith

51:09 Part 2 preview: coaching technical skills

Jan and the Eleade Fussball coaches help young Australian players bridge the gap between team training and individual development, so they can reach the highest level possible. Individual and group sessions with a cognitive focus, game analysis, and performance testing, all built around the individual player.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firsttouchtofirstteam/

Follow the show, leave a rating, and share this with one player or parent on the journey.

Enjoy your football journey!

From First Touch to First Team is the podcast for young football players parents and coaches. Every episode, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional players, coaches, and people building lives around football, and unpacks the real journeys behind the game. The goal is simple: to give young players and their parents the education, the honest stories, and the perspective they need to navigate the pathway to professional football.

In this episode, Jan calls the US to sit down with Brody Sams, an Australian goalkeeper coach who never played at a professional level, but has spent over a decade coaching goalkeepers at the highest level in Australia and the US. From starting at the Brisbane Roar to signing with NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL, Brody proves that a full-time career in football does not have to go through a pro playing pathway.

Brody talks openly about the imposter syndrome that comes from never playing at the top level, and the advice from an Ajax mentor (who grew up with Zlatan Ibrahimovic) that shaped his entire coaching philosophy: outwork everyone. We cover his years at the Brisbane Roar Women's, the random WhatsApp text from Gotham FC that changed everything seven years after his resume was passed on, and what it takes to walk into what was then called the "laughing stock of the NWSL" and turn it around.

Brody is honest about the real differences between the A-League Women and the NWSL, why he thinks Australian football needs to be more open, and what the US does exceptionally well when it comes to marketing, community, and creating access. He closes with his best advice for every young goalkeeper: journal, reflect, watch the game like a student, and don't underestimate the mental game.

Whether you are a young player chasing the dream, a parent supporting one, or a coach shaping the next generation, this is essential listening for anyone who has ever wondered what a life in football can look like on the coaching side of the game.

Jan and the Eleade Fussball coaches help young Australian players bridge the gap between team training and individual development, so they can reach the highest level possible. Individual and group sessions with a cognitive focus, game analysis, and performance testing, all built around the individual player. Through this podcast, we share the real journeys of players who have reached the top, so young footballers can see just how different every path can look.

Find Eleade on Instagram or at www.eleadefussball.com

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome and meet Brody Sams
02:57 How the 2002 World Cup hooked him on football at 11
06:03 The Brisbane Roar years and being told to "get a real job"
08:49 How he silenced the imposter syndrome from an Ajax mentor
11:49 What matters most: the goalkeeper coach and player relationship
14:48 Why watching football is the goalkeeper's secret weapon
17:32 Why US players still don't watch enough football
20:29 The random WhatsApp from Gotham 7 years after Nadine passed on his resume
23:29 "Bring it on, let's go": accepting the NWSL's worst-ranked club
26:25 The real differences between the A-League Women and NWSL
29:20 Inside the daily life of an NWSL goalkeeper coach
32:14 How he tracks progress and development in his goalkeepers
37:51 Journaling and reflection: the goalkeeper's secret weapon
42:56 What separates the number one goalkeeper from the number two
48:45 Inside the NWSL boom: Kansas City, Portland, and Angel City
54:35 What Australian football could learn from US openness
1:01:33 Stoppage Time Questions
1:06:14 His advice for young players chasing the dream

🎧 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Enjoy your football journey!

From First Touch to First Team is the podcast for young football players parents and coaches. Every episode, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional players, coaches, and people building lives around football, and unpacks the real journeys behind the game. The goal is simple: to give young players and their parents the education, the honest stories, and the perspective they need to navigate the pathway to professional football.

In this episode, Jan calls Perth to sit down with Daniel Solsky, a 23-year-old goalkeeper who grew up in Sydney, was never in an A-League Academy, packed up his life at 18 to chase a professional career in Spain, came home without a contract, nearly quit football altogether midway through last year's NPL season, and then got a phone call from Perth Glory that changed everything.

Solsky takes us through the whole journey. From starting at Maccabi Lions at five years old as an outfielder, being turned into a goalkeeper at nine after another kid's injury, and joining Hakoah where he won the NPL 1 under 16s league. He talks about his 10-minute trial at ESFA, the goalkeeper coaches who shaped him (Trinity Allen, Dave Plowright), and modelling his game on David De Gea.

We move through his FFA Cup first grade debut for Hakoah at 17, signing for Manly United under Adam Griffiths (now head coach at Perth Glory), and the move to Cultural Leonesa in Spain at 18. Daniel is candid about the reality of playing in a tiny Spanish town at Leon, coming back to Australia without a contract, and the Wollongong Wolves NPL breakout year that put him on Perth Glory's radar.

He opens up about the moment he almost quit football midway through last year, the Sydney-to-Wollongong commute five times a week, and the Perth Glory trial that led to breaking down in tears with his grandparents when the contract came through.

Whether you are a young player chasing the dream, a parent supporting one, or a coach shaping the next generation, this is essential listening for anyone who has ever wondered what the pathway to professional football looks like when you don't go through an A-League Academy.

Jan and the Eleade Fussball coaches help young Australian players bridge the gap between team training and individual development, so they can reach the highest level possible. Individual and group sessions with a cognitive focus, game analysis, and performance testing, all built around the individual player.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
03:54 Starting at Maccabi Lions at 5
06:35 The injury at 9 that turned him into a goalkeeper
09:22 The 10-minute ESFA trial
11:56 David De Gea: the goalkeeper who shaped his mentality
14:45 Why clean sheets are everything to him
17:17 A family of goalkeepers: dad at Hakoah and grandpa's FFA role
22:00 The parents who drove him everywhere to chase the dream
23:57 Winning the NPL 1 under 16s league with Hakoah
25:26 The COVID year and getting split into the under 18s
28:40 First grade FFA Cup debut for Hakoah at 17
30:32 Signing at Manly United under Adam Griffiths at 18
35:33 What he'd do differently looking back on his youth career
39:17 Life in Spain:
42:57 The lessons Spain taught him about becoming a pro
45:08 Coming back to Sydney and searching for the next step
48:10 Signing for Wollongong Wolves and finding his form
49:45 The breakout NPL year
50:33 The Sydney-to-Wollongong commute five times a week
51:49 The moment he almost quit football
54:04 The Perth Glory trial and the 3-3 draw that almost ruined it
56:13 Breaking down in tears with his grandparents when the contract came
59:37 The circle that kept him going:
1:02:17 The message from Griffo that got left on read
1:04:56 Stoppage Time Questions
1:10:28 His advice for young players chasing the dream