About Pine Hills FC

Discipline - Controlled, focused and structured effort for ongoing development and improvement. 

Humility - Modest, humble (not showy); recognise our limitations and value other’s contributions. 

Respect - Recognition, consideration and valuing of others feelings, 
beliefs and efforts.

A unified culture, pathway, playing identity, player model, and training methodology that shapes everything we do.

The Pine Hills Way is the foundation of our Academy and our club.
It defines who we are, how we behave, what we value, and how we develop players across every age group and program.

It connects five aspects of our club identity:

1. The Pine Hills Person
2. The Pine Hills Pathway
3. The Pine Hills Player (Six Pillars)
4. The Pine Hills Coaching Methodology
5. The Pine Hills Playing Style

Together, these form one aligned system—on and off the field—that ensures every player can learn, grow, thrive, and belong.

1. The Pine Hills Person

We develop great players and great people.

We aim to help our players live out the PHFC values of:

• Discipline

  Humility

  Respect

We also strive to create a club community built on:

• Belonging	Connection
  Kindness	Service
  Responsibility

PHFC people are proud of their club, care about the community, and contribute positively to those around them.

The Pine Hills Person influences every part of our Academy program—from how players behave, to how they train, to how they represent our club.

2. The Pine Hills Pathway

Opportunities for every player, at every stage.

We provide a clear, inclusive pathway:

• 1.        Kookas → MiniRoos → Community Teams → Development Teams → Academy Teams

  2.        QPL Men & Women / U23s

  3.        Metro Men & Women

  4.        O35 / O45 (Masters)

  5.        Coaching & Refereeing pathways

Every level is valued. Every player and official matters.

We have strengthened the pathway for our most advanced juniors through the Advanced Player Development Pathway, aligned with:

• The LTAD	The Coaching Methodology
  The Player Development Continuum	The Pine Hills Playing Style
  The Six Pillars

Our aim:
Home-grown players progressing into our senior teams (and beyond) year after year.

3. The Pine Hills Player

Aligned with the Six Pillars described in Section 1

The Pine Hills Player is built on six interconnected pillars:

1. The Pine Technique (Technical Excellence) Two-footed, confident, skilful, creative, and comfortable under pressure.
2. The Pine Tactics (Tactical Intelligence & Decision Making) Understands systems, principles, spacing, transitions, pressing cues, and game management.
3. The Pine Engine (Physical Capability) Agile, fast, strong, balanced, coordinated, resilient, and capable of sustaining match intensity.
4. The Pine Mind (Mental Strength / Psychological Skills) Growth mindset, resilience, focus, composure, confidence, and coachability.
5. The Pine Connection (Social Strength / Team Identity) Team-first mindset, communication, trust, leadership, humility, and positive contribution to culture.
6. The Pine Habits (Lifestyle Behaviours) Sleep, nutrition, hydration, recovery, preparation, organisation, time management, and positive choices.

These Six Pillars are not isolated—they are developed progressively across all LTADF stages and form the foundation of our age-specific training program.

4. The Pine Hills Coaching Methodology

A high-performance environment for every player.

Our coaching methodology reflects:

Training at Pine Hills is:

Technical Focus at Every Age

The four core skills remain constant through all stages:

1. Running with the Ball
2. 1v1 Moments
3. First Touch
4. Striking the Ball

Tactical Focus Areas

Across the pathway (increasing in U14-18), we focus on four game moments:

In Possession

• Ball Progression – controlled possession from the goalkeeper
• Ball Progression – attacking in the opponent’s half

Out of Possession

• Reorganise to Defend – team moves together
• Connect to Protect – force opposition into predictable areas

Training evolves from simple → complex across age groups, as players move through our pathway at PHFC.

Football Federation Australia: The overall aim of the National Club Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) is to raise standards and to recognise and reward quality clubs, which ultimately contributes to quality football experiences for players, volunteers and parents.