Ross was appointed assistant coach of the Korean women’s team in December, leaving his post as head coach of China’s Under-15 girls’ national team to move to Seoul.
Korea is the latest locale in a coaching career that has taken the largely unknown 41-year-old to roles in Darwin, Frankfurt, Vittsjo and Beijing.
Ross’ journey from average footballer in Newcastle, NSW, to Asia is remarkable one. Born and raised in the Hunter region, he worked as teacher and previously served as a match official in the National Soccer League (NSL).
But eight years ago, after a spell coaching kids in the Northern Territory while teaching, Ross decided to relocate to Europe to chase his dream of becoming a full-time professional coach.
“I played football as a kid before taking up refereeing and had two seasons as an assistant referee in the NSL twenty years ago,” he told The World Game.
“It was being on the sidelines during those matches that I started paying attention to coaches like Ange Postecoglou, Bernd Stange, Graham Arnold, John Kosmina and Zorin Matic. At the time I never envisaged that I would follow their career path, but I still have clear memories of their coaching points and motivational techniques.
“I only started playing again at 28 and had a season in the Virgin Islands national league. The next year I began coaching with the Football Federation Northern Territory.
“After coaching in Darwin for five years I couldn’t really see a career path in Australia, so we left for Germany in 2012. I initially wanted to go to Europe just to improve my football knowledge and understanding, but ultimately to see if I was good enough to make it over there.
“My wife and I quit our jobs and flew to Germany to start from scratch. I needed full immersion in a traditional football culture to develop a deeper understanding of the game.
“I began as an unpaid video analyst, to coaching in the fourth division, youth team, first team assistant coach, caretaker coach, then head coach at Frankfurt. It was a bit surreal. It’s only when I look back now I realise how quickly I progressed.”
Ross spent just over four years working his way up the ranks at Bundesliga outfit 1. FFC Frankfurt. He was part of the backroom staff when the club won the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2015 and then took over as head coach the following season when Englishman Colin Bell departed, likely to be the first time an Australian has ever managed an elite club in Germany.
“I can remember the sleepless nights the year we won the Champions League,” Ross said.
“I was the opposition scout/video analyst, teaching full-time, coaching the youth team and completing my UEFA A Licence. I was flying around Europe and stretched to the limit physically and mentally.
“It was not until after we won it that you could stop and realise the weight of the achievement. You’re always thinking about the next game, the next training session, the next challenge.
“To then take over as head coach of the European champions mid-season, you just take it in your stride and get to work. There was no time to process it or enjoy it, you only feel the pressure of winning the next match.
“During my time in charge we finished third and fifth in the league and made the Champions League semi-final. It was a sharp learning curve and a wonderful experience.”
Ross was in charge at Frankfurt for nearly two years, leading the club to the final four in the Champions League and then a fifth place finish in his second season. But in 2017 he was axed three games into the new season and joined Vittsjö GIK in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan.
Along the way Ross has battled prejudice in Europe because of his nationality and the lack of a high-profile professional playing background.
“I don’t think there’s been an Australian head coach in Germany or Sweden in the women’s game,” he said.
“I don’t know why more Australian coaches don’t head overseas to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zone. I started by taking the UEFA B license in Ireland.
“When I arrived in Germany, they didn’t acknowledge my AFC qualifications. It took me a year of door knocking to get a chance to prove myself at the bottom of the football pyramid.
“There was a definite prejudice – you’re an Australian, what do you know about football?”
Ross spent just one season in Sweden before the opportunity to coach in China arose. But he says he loved his time in Europe, developing his skills and being immersed in football cultures.
“Sweden was a fantastic experience,” Ross explained.
“I had the plan to stay there long-term, until China came in with a deal that I couldn’t really refuse. It’s a great league and it’s not really acknowledged how tough it is.
“There is nothing between first and last in the league. You needed to be at the top of your game every week. The football culture was strong, yet very different to Germany, where the head coach leads the way.
“In Sweden it was much more of a horizontal organisational culture and more of a collective process. The players and the board wanted their opinions to be heard on everything, including if the head coach should stay or go.”
Now in Korea, Ross has been reunited with Bell who he worked successfully with at Frankfurt. The mission in Seoul is to make the national team into one of the best women’s sides in the world and competing with the likes of Brazil, Japan and the Matildas.
There is also the small matter of helping South Korea qualify for the next Olympic Games, once the Coronavirus-caused shutdown ends.
“In terms of the team and the Korean Football Association (KFA), they’ve been really welcoming and accommodating,” he said.
“It was an initiative from the KFA to get European-experienced coaches in for the first time. The players have really embraced our concepts and are the best group I have ever worked with.
“Technically, like the Japanese, the Koreans are very talented. There is tactical work to do, but it’s more about the self-belief that we are good enough to compete at the top level.
“We were ranked 20th last year and have moved up to 18th. We want to be a top 10 country. Part of the attraction of the role was to work with a senior international team, and with a country like Korea that have traditionally underachieved but have huge potential.
“My wife is Korean, so I’m very proud to serve the country and fully understand the importance of the national team to the nation’s psyche. We’ve got the Olympic playoff games against China scheduled in June, so I’m continuing to analyse them.
“We’re keeping in regular contact with the squad, monitoring their fitness and analysing other national teams. You keep working and preparing as best you can. I left China in December and moved here, which turned out to be very good timing.”
While Ross has been based overseas since 2012, he continues to keep a close eye on Australian football. He believes Asian nations are making great strides in football development, and looks forward to his Korean team taking on the Matildas.
"It’s a dangerous time for Australian football,” Ross admits.
“They’ve got to be really careful how they plan and strategise for the next 5-10 years, otherwise Asia is going to be a tough place [for them]. I can see what other countries are putting into their football development.
“Playing the Matildas would be great. I flew back to Sydney to watch them play against China.
“I coached Emily van Egmond in Frankfurt, so I was pleased for her to score such an important goal. We need to be playing games against the likes of Japan and Australia. That’s the fastest way we’re going to learn and improve.”
Ross has recently been accepted onto the UEFA Pro License course in Ireland alongside the likes of former Manchester United defender John O’Shea, ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini and former Perth Glory striker Andy Keogh.
The 41-year-old admits he has enjoyed a fair ride in football so far but says he still has a lot to learn.
“I would have never expected to be in Korea two matches away from an Olympic Games,” he said.
“You just never know where football is going to take you. It’s been a great journey so far, but I still consider myself a young coach with a lot to learn.
“It hasn’t been a conventional career path. I’ve had my foot on the gas for eight years and I’m always chasing the next idea or innovation to improve my coaching.”
