Canberra United unveil Liesbeth Migchelsen as Head Coach and Raeanne Dower as Assistant for Season Six of the Westfield W-League.
Canberra United have announced the appointment of Liesbeth (Elisabeth) Migchelsen as Head Coach and Raeanne Dower as Assistant Coach for Season 6 of the Westfield W-League.
Migchelsen, a former Dutch international with 95 caps to her name, will become United-s fourth Head Coach, and second from Europe, following in the footsteps of Jitka Klimkova.
The highly rated Migchelsen, who is known as ‘Lizz-, has had a storied career in her home country of the Netherlands being a regular in the ‘Oranje- also captaining the side. A multiple champion of the Netherlands with D.V.V. Puck Deventer, Saestum Zeist and AZ Alkmaar, Migchelsen has enjoyed a distinguished playing career.
A qualified UEFA A-Licence holder, Migchelsen has been Assistant Manager of the Netherlands Girls- under-19 team as well as Head Coach at a number of club sides. She is well versed in the technical analysis aspects of the game as well, being the Video Analyst and Scout for Russia during the Men-s Euro 2012 Tournament held in Poland and the Ukraine.
Migchelsen was pleased with her appointment and enthusiastic about getting to work with the former Westfield W-League Champions.
“I look forward to this fantastic challenge with players who are well known by their level of play and endless will to become even better football players,” Migchelsen said. “My goal is to contribute to the development of the game and particularly to Canberra United.
“As there will be no time to lose during the short pre-season, I am delighted that Jitka Klimkova is willing to hand over the team in the first week of my appointment. I cannot wait to start.”
Canberra United also announced the appointment of Raeanne Dower as Assistant Coach to Migchelsen for Season 6 of the Westfield W-League.
Dower, a native of Queensland, has played a distinguished part in the Youth Coaching scene in the Sunshine State for a number of years having been Head Coach of the Queensland State Representative girls teams at under-13, under-17 and under-18 levels.
The AFC/FFA pro-Diploma candidate has been Head Coach and Technical Director of the highly successful Redlands United who compete in the National Premier League: Queensland competition. Dower has also tasted international football having represented the Matildas in the Oceania Cup in 1989 following on from Australian Youth and Schoolgirl appearances.
“It-s fantastic for us to be able to welcome someone of Raeanne-s undoubted quality to our club” Canberra United CEO Heather Reid commented. “Following the move by Jitka Klimkova to the New Zealand national team programs, it was vital for us to get the most professional coaching staff in place and I am confident that with Raeanne assisting Liesbeth Migchelsen we have the right fit for the Westfield W-League Season 6 campaign.”
