Adelaide City WNPL coach Max Primaro quits midway through season despite side sitting top with 5-1 record
A top flight women’s soccer coach has quit mid season because “differing opinions” despite leading the side to first spot on the table with just one loss after six rounds.
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A coach of SA’s most successful women’s soccer club has quit midway through the season, despite leading the side to top spot on the table with a 5-1 record.
Adelaide City’s Women’s National Premier League mentor Max Primaro decided to step down from the role this week ahead of Friday’s top-of-the-table round seven clash with West Adelaide.
He cited “differing opinions” between him and the team as his reason for walking away.
Primaro took the reins this season from three-times title-winning mentor Andrew Calderbank after he accepted the role of senior coach at State League One men’s team South Adelaide.
Primaro said he had “chosen to step down because of reasons within the team”.
“The style of play I was trying to implement I think was going good,” he said.
“(But) the team itself was very structured in a way that I am a completely different coach and they’ve sort of been the same over the past three years.
“I came in with a different approach and it’s very hard to break that.
“(But) my picture at the end of the day was a long-term picture and development of youth.
“I guess we had different views and it was hard for the team to sort of jell with.”
He said he had enjoyed his time with the club.
“They are a great bunch of girls, but it was different points, I guess, of how I coached and what they are used to,” he said.
City, who claimed the past three WNPL grand finals, has only lost one match this year – before the COVID-19 break – a 2-1 defeat to Metro United in March.
They then smashed Adelaide Comets 5-2 in the match before the coronavirus sport shutdown and have triumphed in all five games since the restart.
Primaro had more than 20 years of coaching experience, having held the reins of Fulham United’s top-flight women’s team and also spent time as an assistant with Adelaide United.
Despite being disappointed with how his tenure with City ended, Primaro said he “loved the club” and would always support Adelaide City.
“When a strong decision had to be made, I saw one way and they saw the other, so I said I don’t think I could keep going forward,” he said.
An Adelaide City spokesman said the club “mutually parted ways” with Primaro.
“It’s just best for both parties to part ways at this stage,” the spokesman said.
City’s technical director Adriano Pellegrino will take charge for the match against West Adelaide at the Parks tonight (Friday).
The club said it was likely to make an announcement “soon” about the WNPL team’s coaching structure moving forward.