Melbourne City have confirmed the appointment of Aurelio Vidmar as their permanent head coach on a deal until the end of the 2025-26 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
His assistant coaches Raffaele Napoli, Scott Jamieson and Sander Krabbendam will also return next season, after they steered the club into a record 10th consecutive Finals series, before a heart-breaking penalty shootout loss to Melbourne Victory in the Elimination Final.
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Vidmar had been leading City in an interim capacity since since November but has now been rewarded after presiding over the three largest wins in club history.
“The most successful football teams around the world are built on a foundation of stability, strong culture, and consistency, and that has been no different for us. The importance of stability to our ambition of constant improvement cannot be understated,” City Director of Football Michael Petrillo said.
“Our success on the pitch in recent years has been the product of a City approach that has a stable, talented and ambitious football department at its core.
“Aurelio is a firm believer in the way we want to play football and is committed to instilling the high standards and behaviours that we expect. He lives and breathes the footballing methodology and philosophy of the club.”
City Football Group Managing Director of Global Football Brian Marwood added: “I’m delighted Aurelio has committed to the club as it’s important to have consistency in what we do both on and off the field.
“He understands fully the behaviours and values we hold ourselves accountable to as a club and I’m confident that alongside our talented staff members and players, we will continue to challenge for success.”
City CEO Brad Rowse said: “It’s so important that we continue to foster the culture of excellence that has brought so much recent success to the club. In Aurelio, we have a great leader, a fantastic mentor for our younger players, and someone who embodies the values of Melbourne City.”
Fresh from signing his new contract, Vidmar spoke with enthusiasm about the challenge ahead.
“From the moment I joined Melbourne City, my goal has been clear – to get us back to where we should be,” he said.
“We’ll do that by getting the small things right and driving high standards every day; we’ve already made strong progress in this regard, but there’s still much work to be done. Day one of pre-season can’t come soon enough.
“City fans have had a lot to be proud of and I want them to know that my coaching staff and I are determined to ensure that continues. I’m excited for the challenges ahead and can’t wait to show our fans what we can do next season.”
