Former Papua New Guinea international Reginald Davani has reached another major milestone in his football career, becoming the first Papua New Guinean to obtain an AFC/Football Australia Pro Licence.
Davani confirmed that he has completed and received the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)/Football Australia Pro Diploma, the highest level of coaching qualification within the AFC pathway. The achievement represents the culmination of a development process that has taken him through different levels of Australian and Oceanian football since moving from his playing career into coaching.
The 46-year-old described receiving the qualification as a “deeply humbling honor”, explaining that while the Pro Diploma itself was completed over approximately 12 months, the milestone represents a “13-year pursuit of growth, learning and dedication to the game.”
That final year of study also came during a period of considerable professional movement. Davani went from his work on the Central Coast to an opportunity with Wellington Phoenix before later returning to Brisbane, completing the demanding course alongside his responsibilities within professional football.
Davani acknowledged the PNG Sports Ministry, PNG Sports Foundation and Papua New Guinea Football Association for providing support during the earlier stages of his development. He also highlighted the role of UEFA in helping enable his enrolment in the Pro Licence programme, alongside the support received from Football Australia, Football Queensland, the course instructors and his fellow coaches.
The significance of the achievement goes well beyond another certificate on Davani’s coaching résumé. The AFC Pro Diploma is the confederation’s highest coaching qualification and is designed for coaches preparing to work at the highest professional and international levels. In Australia, the AFC or UEFA Pro Diploma is also the qualification benchmark for head coaches in the A-League Men, placing Davani educationally among coaches qualified for senior roles at the top level of the professional game.
It continues a transition into coaching that has steadily gathered experience across different environments. Davani worked in coach and player development in Queensland before becoming Boys Academy Technical Director at Central Coast Mariners, where he was involved in the development structure of one of Australia’s leading professional clubs. In 2025, he took another important step when Wellington Phoenix appointed him as head analyst and second assistant coach for their A-League Men setup.
That appointment was itself significant for Pacific football, with Wellington Phoenix stating at the time that Davani was believed to be the first Papua New Guinean and Pacific Islander to coach professionally in the A-League.
His coaching career has also remained closely connected to Papua New Guinea. Davani was assistant to Flemming Serritslev during the Kapuls’ historic 2016 OFC Nations Cup campaign, when PNG reached the continental final on home soil and were eventually beaten by New Zealand on penalties. He continued working with the national setup during the subsequent World Cup qualifying campaign and returned to the Kapuls coaching staff under Warren Moon for the 2024 OFC Nations Cup.
Before becoming a coach, Davani had already established himself as one of Papua New Guinea’s most accomplished footballers. The Port Moresby-born attacker spent significant parts of his career in Australia and New Zealand, including spells with Auckland City, North Shore United and Bay Olympic, while also representing Kossa in Solomon Islands. His time with Auckland City included domestic and Oceania success, giving him experience at some of the highest levels available to Pacific players during his generation.
His ambitions in coaching have also never been hidden. Speaking exclusively to Oceania Football Center in 2020, Davani discussed the need for stronger coach-development structures in Papua New Guinea and made clear that leading his country remained one of his long-term objectives.
“It’s no secret that I would love to coach the national team one day,” he told OFCe at the time.
Six years later, Davani is considerably closer to having all the credentials required for such an opportunity. His experience now includes national-team football, youth development, academy management, analysis and coaching inside an A-League environment, while the Pro Licence adds the highest formal coaching qualification available through the Asian pathway.
For Papua New Guinea, the achievement also carries a wider significance. Davani has frequently spoken about the importance of developing not only players but also coaches if PNG football is to fulfil its potential. By becoming the country’s first AFC/Football Australia Pro Licence holder, he has now established a new benchmark for Papua New Guinean coaches looking to progress through the professional game.
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