Arsenal Women will take on a familiar face when they meet the A-League All Stars Women in Melbourne on May 24, with former Gunners boss Joe Montemurro appointed head coach of the home side in what represents a full circle moment for the decorated manager.
His appointment is a significant coup for the A-Leagues outfit ahead of the assembling of the first ever women’s All Stars side for the double-header fixture, which will also see an A-League All Stars Men side take on Premier League outfit Newcastle United at Marvel Stadium.
Montemurro will lead an impressive coaching setup for the historic clash, which will feature an array of expertise from across the Liberty A-League Women. His assistant coaches will be Central Coast Mariners’ head coach Emily Husband, who has led the Gosford club to the Semi-Finals in their very first season back in the competition, and Western United boss Kat Smith, who achieved a third-place regular-season finish.
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Melbourne Victory’s Melissa Maizels has been appointed goalkeeper coach for the A-League All Stars Women, with all three rising female coaches set for a priceless apprenticeship under one of the most decorated coaches in the world of women’s football today.
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JOE MONTEMURRO’S STORY: Plucked from youth ranks to leading an icon
Montemurro was born in Melbourne and launched his career in the Liberty A-League Women, before heading to Europe where he has enjoyed major success with both Arsenal Women FC and Juventus Women.
The 54-year-old led Melbourne Victory to a second-placed finish in 2014, then crossed town to take charge of Melbourne City, where he won a Premiership and back-to-back Championships, also becoming the first manager to go through a full season undefeated.
Those feats did not go unnoticed, with Montemurro being snapped up by the Gunners in 2017. Across four years at the club, he won the Women’s Super League (WSL) and the WSL Cup, and was nominated for The Best FIFA Football Coach as well as UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year.
Montemurro was head coach when the north London club signed Matildas stars Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord, who look likely to star against his A-Leagues All Stars side.
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After departing Arsenal, the Aussie coach joined Italian giants Juventus and led a trophy-laden era for their women’s outfit.
In his first season at the club, Montemurro claimed an historic treble, winning the Serie A Femminile, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana, while also becoming the first boss in club history to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Montemurro will return home to take charge of the finest talent the Liberty A-League Women has to offer. It will mark his first time coaching in Australia for seven years, since departing Melbourne City to take on Europe.
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Commenting on the appointment and returning to his home city of Melbourne, A-League All Stars Women Head coach Joe Montemurro said: “I wish to thank the A-Leagues team for including me as part of this historic event.
“I look forward to reconnecting with the Australian football public and working with Kat, Emily and Melissa – showcasing the exciting talent of the A-Leagues.”
On Tuesday, Melbourne Victory’s Alex Chidiac and Melbourne City’s Hannah Wilkinson were selected as the first two members of Montemurro’s A-League All Stars Women squad with the full squad to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Chidiac, who was a member of the CommBank Matildas’ 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad, is set to be at her mesmerising best off the back of a season that saw her help Melbourne Victory reach another Liberty A-League Women’s Finals Series.
For Wilkinson, selection in the A-League All Stars Women caps an incredible 12 months highlighted by leading the line for New Zealand at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and notching nine goals for Liberty A-League Women Premiers Melbourne City.
The A-League All Stars Women team is set to assemble in Melbourne on Saturday 18 May with an open training session for fans to be held on Thursday 23 May at AAMI Park with tickets available now for $10 via www.ticketek.com.au.
Fans can purchase their tickets to the A-Leagues All Stars double-header on May 24 here.
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