Former coach Tom Sermanni back for third stint as Matildas boss

Tom Sermanni is set to take charge of the Matildas for a third time, with the veteran coach announced on Tuesday as the team’s interim coach to enable the search to continue for Tony Gutavsson’s full-time replacement.

Sermanni will steer the team for next month’s international window - which includes a clash against Olympic bronze medallists Germany - and possibly through to the end of the year in a surprise move by Football Australia, which had flagged last week that a short-term appointment would be made to remove some of the time pressure off their recruitment process.

Tom Sermanni at the 2019 World Cup in France during his tenure as head coach of New Zealand.Credit: Getty

This one will have the enthusiastic backing of the Matildas’ senior players, most of whom came through the system back under the affable Scottish-Australian, including injured skipper Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Mackenzie Arnold, among many others.

Sermanni, 70, would be unfamiliar to many of the team’s newer fans but is one of the most influential figures in the history of Australian women’s football, having originally moved here in the 1980s to play for Marconi in the old National Soccer League.

Currently the head of women’s football at the Western Sydney Wanderers, he first served as Matildas coach between 1994-1997 and then again between 2005-2012, steering them to their 2010 Asian Cup crown during his second stint.

He was also coach of the United States in 2013-14, who were undefeated during his tenure, and last worked in the dugout for New Zealand between 2018-2021. Sermanni was a technical advisor to Canada during their preparations for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

“It’s an honour to return to the Matildas, even in this interim capacity,” Sermanni said in a statement.

“I’m looking forward to working with this talented group of players and helping to ensure a smooth transition as Football Australia continues its search for a permanent head coach.

“My immediate priority is to prepare the team for the upcoming international window.”

FA chief executive James Johnson said: “We are conducting a thorough and comprehensive search for our next permanent head coach. Tom’s appointment allows us the time and space to make the right decision for the long-term future of the Matildas’ program, while ensuring our team remains in capable hands for the upcoming international fixtures.”

With Kerr in the final stages of her comeback from a long-term knee injury, it could be that Sermanni, the coach who blooded her in the national team back when she was 15, is the coach who helps re-integrate her with the Matildas.

“We’re in contact with Sam. We continue to be in touch with Sam. There’s no defined timeline on when Sam comes back,” Johnson told this masthead in an interview last week. “Right now, she’s got to get herself fit. She’s got to play at club level. And as soon as she’s done that, we can’t wait to have her back in the team.”