Half of panel selected to find new Matildas coach to replace Alen Stajcic comes from outside football

Two of the four experts appointed to find a new coach for the Matildas will come from outside football, after the FFA brought in an executive from the AIS and the coach of the women’s cricket team to join the search.

Alen Stajcic was dumped last Saturday as Matildas coach.

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Two of the four experts appointed to find a new coach for the Matildas will come from outside football, after Football Federation Australia brought in an executive from the AIS and the coach of the women’s cricket team to join the search.

Part of a panel of four, alongside FFA’s Head of National Performance Luke Casserly and former Matilda Julie Murray, cricket coach Matthew Mott and the AIS’s Deputy Director, Performance People and Teams, Darlene Harrison will recommend a candidate to the FFA board to replace the sacked Alen Stajcic.

Alen Stajcic was dumped last Saturday as Matildas coach.

As the FFA continues to deal with the fallout over the dramatic sacking of Stajcic last Saturday, officials attempted to move the narrative forward by outlining the process for choosing his successor.

In a press release, FFA CEO David Gallop said they hoped to have a new coach in place by the Cup of Nations tournament at the end of February, but offered no clues as to why half of the selection panel did not have a football background.

“It is important our next Matildas coach has a proven record of success and is aligned to our national playing style as well as being an ambassador for the game in Australia,” Gallop said.

“As we approach an important time for the women’s game in our country with the Women’s World Cup in France later this year and a bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2023, it is our role to appoint a coach who understands the cultural behaviours and responsibilities that comes with this position, as well as having the highest football credentials to successfully manage the team on the pitch.”

The days since Stajcic was dumped have been marked by continued confusion over the background to his sacking, which came on the back of two player surveys and just five months before the World Cup.