Former Australian Rugby Union chief John O’Neill had been in charge of the Football Federation Australia (FFA) for three years.
But he has decided to not seek re-election for the post next March.
FFA chairman Frank Lowy said: "I expected him to sign a new contract for the next four years but he has indicated his need for a change of direction, which I respect.
“We now have six months to put in place an orderly transition and we will continue to benefit from John’s leadership until March 07." O'Neill said: "We have achieved a lot and laid fantastic foundations but the time is right for me to move on to other things.
“On the one hand, my involvement with football has been an exhilarating ride and while we've achieved so much, the potential to take the game even further is enormous. But with our rapid progress has come an incredibly intensive and demanding workload and that creates a lot of pressure on personal time and family life.”
O'Neill played a key role in Australian soccer's resurgence in recent years. He oversaw the shift to the Asian Football Confederation, the setting up of the A-League and witnessed Australia's qualificaiton for this summer's FIFA World Cup.
