Brisbane Roar have appointed Johnathan Clemente as the club’s new Ninja A-League head coach on a two-year deal.
At just 27 years of age, Clemente becomes the youngest head coach in A-League history as he takes charge of a Brisbane side that finished fourth in the 2025/26 season before reaching the semi-finals.
Clemente arrives from Melbourne Victory, where he spent the past four seasons as assistant coach under Jeff Hopkins. During his time at Victory, he also led the club’s NPLW, Female Pathways and Melbourne Victory Afghan Women’s Team programs.
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Prior to joining Victory, Clemente enjoyed success as a head coach in Victorian football. He guided Essendon Royals back to promotion in his first season before taking charge of Heidelberg United, where he delivered the club’s highest league finish in 12 years and helped develop 10 players into A-League squads across a three-year stint.
Speaking after his appointment, Clemente said he was excited by the opportunity to lead one of the competition’s leading clubs.
“I am incredibly honoured at the opportunity to lead of one of the most successful clubs in the country, with one of the best squads in the league and to do it in one of the most beautiful places in the world”
“I see exciting parallels between Brisbane Roar and my own journey. We’ve been hungry, ambitious and have spent the past few years building strong foundations. Now it’s our time to come together and establish ourselves at the pinnacle of women’s football in this country.”
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“Alex Smith and the squad were tremendous last season, finishing fourth and were one game away from a Grand Final, with a host of exciting, young, local talent. I’ll be looking to build on the great work, create consistency & continue the upward trajectory of the program.
“Our team will be built around shared principles, not set structures, with the objective being not how we play, but how we feel. We want our fans to believe in the fluid football they’ll see, we want our young girls in the crowd to believe they can represent Brisbane one day and we want our squad to believe that when you represent our team & our state, anything is possible.”
“Being the only professional pathway for Women in the state is a great responsibility and it is a great honour to help continue Queensland’s traditions of developing the next generation of Matildas.”
Brisbane Roar Sporting Director James Gow said Clemente’s vision and experience made him the standout candidate during the club’s recruitment process.
“Johnathan is coach with a very clear idea of how he wants to play, train and develop his team. We conducted a thorough recruitment process and his desire for the role and clarity in how he works stood out.
“Despite his young age he has a lot of experience in the A-League Women’s space. He really buys into the strategy we as a club wish to execute. We are looking forward to welcoming him and seeing him get to work.”
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