Ante Milicic has been confirmed as the inaugural coach of new Hyundai A-League club Macarthur FC.
On a massive day for the club – who also unveiled their official name, colours and logo – Milicic was presented as the man to spearhead the club when they enter the competition for the 2020/21 Season.
“Being an expansion team and being given the opportunity to be the inaugural coach is something massive, just to be given the trust to take the team forward,” Milicic said at a function at Campbelltown Catholic Club on Wednesday.
“The timing was right for me, particularly the last five years with the various national team age groups that I have had…its been a lot of experience.
“There’s been a lot of World Cups and Asian Cups, now is the right time for me to get back into full-time football and be the head coach of this new club.
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“This is a great opportunity to come back home to come to an expansion club that has some really good plans and a lot of excitement around them.
“There’s a lot of positivity around and I really can’t look any further than that. It’s something I’m really pleased to be part of.”
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Milicic is the current coach of the Westfield Matildas and will remain focused on those commitments until the conclusion of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games campaign, after signing an extension to his current deal last Friday.
The 45-year-old – a former Caltex Socceroos assistant coach – is all set to lead the Westfield Matildas to next month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, naming a 23-player squad for the tournament on Tuesday.
While he will juggle his commitments with the Westfield Matildas and the early stages of getting things set up with Macarthur FC, Milicic insists he’ll do everything possible to get things right on and off the park.
“I’m looking forward to setting everything up post the Olympics with the Matildas and it’s just important we get the right people in,” he said.
“They need to have the right values and a good culture there. That’s the most important thing, especially when you are part of a start-up club.”
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