Coach-less and directionless Matildas falling further behind rivals

Since Tony Gustavsson’s contract wasn’t renewed by Football Australia at the end of last year’s Paris Olympics, the Matildas have been without a permanent head coach or a clear direction. 

Gustavsson’s departure was long expected as he interviewed for multiple jobs during the final months of his tenure, leaving many to ask why Football Australia (FA) didn’t have an immediate replacement ready.

In comparison, Socceroos counterpart Graham Arnold resigned on September 20, 2024, only to be replaced by now coach Tony Popovic three days later.

Tom Sermanni was appointed in the interim to lead the Matildas, and while he was a reliable choice having previously coached the side on two other instances, by his own admission, there’s no clear indication when a permanent head coach will come in.

FA has confirmed Sermanni will again lead the team for April’s friendlies against South Korea in Sydney and Newcastle. 

In January former Matilda Heather Garriock, who is leading the coaching recruitment process, admitted FA had missed an opportunity to sign top candidate Joe Montemurro after he signed a two-year fixed contract with Lyon.

Many of the other candidates are either under contract or lack some of the relevant experience coaching internationally.

There is mounting pressure to find Gustavsson’s permanent successor, after the team’s winless SheBelieves Cup campaign, and with the Women’s Asian Cup hosted by Australia just a year away.

“I think the sooner there is someone who has a good vision and a strong hold and clear guidance around what they want to do…the better,” former Matilda and Network 10 commentator Grace Gill said.

This issue extends further than the senior team, with the Young (U20s) and Junior (U17s) Matildas also without a permanent coach, and the role of Technical Director — Women’s Football is currently vacant.

Rae Dower originated the role prior to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, but her contract wasn’t renewed at the end of last year.

Dower oversaw women’s football matters relating to pathways, competitions, national teams, and various other roles, combining that position with her existing role as Junior Matildas coach.

Football Australia has indicated that, although there is no singular voice in charge of the role, Ernie Merrick (Chief Football Officer) and members of FA technical staff are overseeing those duties now.

While there may be some benefit in having multiple people oversee such a key role, if there isn’t one clear voice in charge, is there a clear direction to follow?

The Young Matildas have been without longtime mentor Leah Blayney who left earlier this year to become an assistant with the Japanese women’s national team.

There is no current timeline for when the role will be permanently filled. For the time being, Kory Babington occupies the role, while the Junior Matildas don’t even have a caretaker manager.

Football, particularly in national teams, runs from the top down when it comes to playing style and direction.

“It’s a really big role (Matildas Coach). I think it would be pretty closely tied to the other positions,” Gill said.

“Whoever that person is in that role for the senior team would need to have really strong linkages across Football Australia, a technical director, the coaches across the ranks of the junior teams.”

The national team’s style is usually in the image of the national team manager or most ideally a national style.

Junior set-ups need to conform or adapt in some respects to ensure those players are ready to fit into the senior team if called upon.

Without a clear voice and direction, it can lead to uncertainty and instability in the highest ranks of the national teams, which affects performance on the pitch.

Gill has cited new US women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes and her strategy of creating a link between the junior ranks and senior teams.

“My understanding is that she recently pulled together a camp from the U17’s all the way up through to the senior team,” Gill said.

“You want all your national team players to understand the style, formation tactics.

“That then makes transitions from 17s to 20s to 23s that looks seamless.”

This may be a great opportunity for FA to reset its priorities and get a structure that is far more aligned from top-down.

FA plans to have someone in the role of Junior Matildas coach by April.

Although it is important to get a coach in the role, some issues will persist — namely if their own style doesn’t align with the new Matildas’ manager’s philosophy.

This leads to a fundamental problem in Australian football — there seems to be at times a lack of direction about the type of player or playing style wanted, which can lead to a style that is ever evolving and at the mercy of the coach that comes in.

“When you compare other nations, like Japan famously has a 50-year football plan,” Gill said.

This plan details not only how the game grows in the country, positional archetypes, and a national philosophy.

Much like the Japanese Football Association, the German Football Association (DFB) similarly implemented an overhaul in the early 2000s of their men’s teams, with both nations requiring their top domestic leagues to have academies.

The DFB also invested in a talent program casting the net to educate players from as young as eight, the tactical knowledge and technical skills required for German football, culminating in the 2014 men’s World Cup victory.

Japan is also bolstered by a women’s league that is fully professional unlike the A-League Women which remains semi-professional. 

FA has outlined its 11 principles for the Future of Australian Football, however many of these have concluded and don’t include anything about a philosophy of football.

This could be a defining moment for Australian women’s football.

If the right people are hired for all four positions it could see the sport go to the next level. If not, Australia could be left behind the rest of the world.