Chief football officer Ernie Merrick has become the latest high-profile figure to depart Football Australia as the organisation experiences further upheaval following the exit of former chief executive James Johnson.
Merrick, 73, was named to the newly created chief football officer role in 2022, becoming the senior technical football figure in the organisation and bringing a permanent presence that had been filled on an interim basis by Trevor Morgan following the departure of technical director Rob Sherman in 2020.
Described as a "disruptor" who would have a "transformational impact" on Australian football, the former A-League Men champion's role was spruiked as being set to play a key role in the game's future -- not only advising the federation on football matters but also helping to reform player pathways and coaching development.
However, ESPN understands that the veteran mentor has been quietly shown the door by the federation, which now lists former Sydney FC youth doyen Ian Crook, who had been serving as elite programs manager, as chief football officer on its governance page. Whether or not this change represents a shift in the organisation's technical direction is unclear, with the Play Football website currently saying it is "working on an updated version of the National Football Curriculum."
Signing a contract through to the 2028 Olympics in June, Joe Montemurro's appointment in June ended a 10-month hunt for a new Matildas coach, while the move to install Carl Veart as boys' Under-17 coach last week ensured that every head coaching position across both men's and women's national teams is now filled.
Merrick, however, isn't the only departure from the executive leadership team with chief of staff Alex Davani -- who had previously served as the federation's head of executive office and strategy under Johnson -- leaving in July after four and a half years with the organisation.
The pair are the latest in the swathe of changes that have hit the federation's executive across the past 24 months, which have seen it significantly shrink.
On a non-executive level, ESPN has previously reported on several senior staff departing amid a significant restructuring of the organisation, particularly across its communications department.
Senior insiders have told ESPN that remaining staff have taken on added responsibilities amid these changes or been asked to stay on as the organisation looks to "right size" after an era of swelling headcounts under Johnson.
Amid ongoing concerns surrounding the viability of Western United, Australian players' union Professional Footballers Australia has also raised concerns surrounding delays to national club licensing for 2025-26, which Football Australia was supposed to have completed in May.
Johnson has been replaced on an interim basis by Heather Garriock, who stepped off her position on the federation's board to fill the role while the federation conducted "a local and global search" for a permanent chief executive officer.
ESPN sent a series of questions to Football Australia regarding the departure of Merrick and Davani, changes to its media and communications team, any further planned restructurings to its executive and staff, and the status of its hunt for a new permanent chief executive. Football Australia declined to comment on all fronts.
Speaking in the wake of the federation's annual general meeting in May, Garriock had flagged that the organisation may be set to shed jobs in the months ahead, but that grassroots and national teams would be insulated from a record AU$8.5 million loss. Declaring himself "not satisfied" with those results, chair Anter Isaac pointed to increases in investments in national youth teams as being a factor behind these losses, as well as the implementation of a much-maligned national registration platform, PlayFootball 2.0, and an "expected credit loss" of AU$4.1m -- much of which are debts owed to Football Australia by A-League administrators the Australian Professional Leagues. The federation is projecting it will return to surplus by 2026.
Breaking with previous convention, May's AGM was held behind closed doors, something Isaac said was made in consultation with Football Australia members. The federation declined to officially comment when asked by ESPN if this would represent a new standard moving forward.
ESPN also sent questions to Football Australia regarding policies and procedures involved in board governance and conflicts of interest, the status of its request for proposal process for new second-tier competition, The Championship, and broadcast plans for when the competition launches in October. The organisation declined to respond.