The man who started a revolution at Central Coast Mariners is back in the Isuzu UTE A-League to attempt to lead another struggling club back to its best. Matt Comito reports
Perth Glory have appointed Alen Stajcic as head coach of the club’s Isuzu UTE A-League side on a three-year contract.
The 49-year-old returns to the A-League Men after a two-season hiatus, signing with Glory after guiding the Philippines through the nation’s first-ever Women’s World Cup campaign.
He is set to arrive in Perth next week, with his long-term assistant Nahuel Arrarte and analyst Stevan Antonic both joining him at the Western Australian club.
Stajcic arrives at a club currently in receivership after 16 years under the ownership of chairman Tony Sage, while a total of 15 player departures this off-season has left the squad in great need of reinforcement.
But despite the club’s uncertain future both on and off the pitch, Stajcic looks at his appointment as a ‘great opportunity’ to enact change at a club that burst onto the scene in the 1990s during the days of the National Soccer League and quickly became a powerhouse.
“I vividly recall the late 90s and early 2000s when Perth Glory revolutionised the National League with its connection to the city, its level of support and a team that was leading the way on the pitch,” Stajcic said.
“I believe an incredible opportunity now exists to re-establish Glory as one of the giants of Australian football and that vision is one shared by everyone at the club.
“I take great confidence from the groundwork which has been put in over the last year to set the club back on the path to success and am excited to help continue that process.
“Perth has a such a rich history in football and a rich history in developing players. It is our vision to once again give the Perth football community a team and a club which they can be truly proud of.”
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Stajcic is widely regarded as one of the best managerial minds in Australian football. The former Matildas boss took Australia to a pair of Asian Cup finals, the 2015 World Cup quarters and a best-ever FIFA world ranking of fourth throughout a five-year tenure that ended in controversy in 2019.
Prior to coaching the Matildas, Stajcic won a pair of Premierships and Championships with Sydney FC’s women’s outfit in the Liberty A-League, reaching the finals series in all six of his seasons in charge.
Stajcic was Central Coast Mariners interim for six games in 2018-19, then took on the job full time the following season. A trying 2019-20 campaign ended in the club’s third-consecutive wooden spoon, but what followed was a special season under Stajcic, with a third-place finish ending a seven-year finals hiatus.
Stajcic’s work at the Mariners laid the groundwork for Nick Montgomery to continue the club’s resurgence; two years after Stajcic’s departure, the Gosford outfit won the Championship under Montgomery in the 2022-23 campaign.
His recent achievements with both the Mariners and Philippines have earned significant plaudits; the Mariners were perennial cellar dwellers before his arrival in 2020, and the Philippines were in general obscurity before he took the reins and hauled them to a maiden World Cup, an historic run to the 2022 Asian Cup semis, the 2022 AFF Championship title and an all-time high FIFA world ranking of 46.
Stajcic’s Glory appointment fits the timeline set out by club CEO Anthony Radich in July. Perth’s academy director Kenny Lowe operated in an interim role for a friendly against West Ham United and an Australia Cup playoff last month, as Radich pointed to the start of August as when he expected the club to make a decision on the coach who would succeed former boss Ruben Zadkovich, who made a surprise exit at the end of the 2022-23 season.
“I am highly delighted and proud on behalf of our members and supporters that we have been able to secure Alen as the new head coach of Perth Glory Football Club,” Radich said.
“He is someone who possesses all the attributes required to take this club forward both on and off the field and is the high-calibre appointment that Perth Glory needs and deserves.
“Alen is highly respected, not only as a coach, but very importantly, as a person of the highest character and integrity.
“He is someone who is renowned for being able to build strong cultures and positive, high-performing environments.
“He also possesses an in-depth understanding of the Australian football landscape, has experience in operating in austere and challenging environments and in developing youth and has consistently achieved success.
“Most importantly, Alen is a winner and he loves a challenge.
“His enthusiasm and desire to take on this role was inspiring, as was his deep love for the game and desire to make a meaningful difference.
“He clearly understands that the club needs to mean more than merely its on-field performance and that together, we need to grow the brand and integrate it as an important and respected part of the WA football and wider community to ensure its ongoing sustainability.”
