Guam National Team Head Coach Karl Dodd has been invited to present as one of four expert panelists in a Systems Thinking in Football Webinar titled, “Optimizing the Game: Translating Theory into Practice” organized by Australia’s University of the Sunshine Coast Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems.

“The topic we are presenting is of enormous importance for moving football forward,” said Dodd, who holds an AFC Pro Diploma, the highest coaching license in the continent. “For too long, we have been using the same thinking and same approaches to football governance, performance, and development. System thinking methods are commonly used to better understand and respond to some of the world’s most complex problems such as child obesity, terrorism, and climate change, among others. We will argue that football represents a complex system and should be viewed, analyzed, and taught as such.”

The Webinar will begin 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16. All interested to join the Webinar must register in advance for limited slots available via Zoom at https://usc-au.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_peHCKcEETe-khvJ7pxOSdg



Dodd will be joined by Professor Paul Salmon, USC Systems Thinking Researcher, Dr. Scott McLean, USC Sports System Researcher, and Kelly Cross, a FIFA Technical Expert and Technical Director (Youth) for Sydney FC. Coaches in Guam also may be familiar with Cross, who visited Guam in 2013 to conduct a FIFA Advanced Coaching Course.

“We will provide theoretical and practical evidence that football and sport in general can benefit from systems thinking at Macro, Meso, and Micro level; for example at the league/club level, the team level, and at the match and individual level,” Dodd said. “The panel includes experienced systems thinking academics and coaches who apply systems thinking methods in their work. Anybody involved in sport, not just football, will benefit from the webinar. For example, coaches, performance staff, club stakeholders, and academics will each take something from the webinar.

“We hope to introduce new ways to look at old problems. Football is steeped in tradition and looking for root causes and quick fixes to solve problems. We will attempt to show that understanding the ‘system’ and its connections, influences, and emergent properties provides a much richer understanding. The webinar will likely challenge the mental models of some attendees; however, being uncomfortable and accepting it is necessary to enact change,” Dodd added.

There is no fee to join the webinar. More information about the webinar’s topics and presenters can be found on the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems Web site


Guam National Team Head Coach Karl Dodd speaks at a post-match press conference held following a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Qualifier of the Asian Zone Round 2 match between Guam and the Maldives at the Guam Football Association National Training Center in this file photo. Dodd will be an expert panelist in an upcoming Systems Thinking in Football webinar organized by Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems on Nov. 16. Registration is open for all interested in the webinar via the Zoom platform. Photo by Andee Tydingco / GFA



Guam National Team Head Coach Karl Dodd speaks at a post-match press conference held following a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Qualifier of the Asian Zone Round 1 match between Guam and Bhutan alongside Matao captain Jason Cunliffe at the Guam Football Association National Training Center in this file photo. Dodd will be an expert panelist in an upcoming Systems Thinking in Football webinar organized by Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems on Nov. 16. Registration is open for all interested in the webinar via the Zoom platform. Photo by Andee Tydingco / GFA