Football Australia appoints former Stan boss as CEO
Football Australia has appointed former Stan boss Martin Kugeler as its new chief executive officer, ahead of this year’s Women’s Asian Cup in Australia and the Socceroos FIFA World Cup campaign.
Kugeler departed Nine’s streaming service Stan in January 2025, amid a restructure. He had spent a decade with the business, including four years as CEO, and a six-year stint as chief financial officer and director of strategy. In the latter role, he oversaw Stan’s expansion from 20 to 150 employees. Prior to this, he held various senior finance and strategy leadership roles within German media group Bertelsmann.
His appointment follows a “comprehensive, independent global search”, according to Football Australia, conducted by firm Egon Zehnder, after longtime CEO James Johnson stepped down in May 2025.
His comments about what he’s going to do sounds like the same comments made by the previous CEO. And the one before that, and the one before that…….
Meanwhile, the professional game is on life support.