All Stars Head Coach Jeff Hopkins has appointed his coaching staff for the upcoming Sydney Super Cup fixture against Women’s Super League giants Chelsea FC in August.
Hopkins will be joined by Matildas’ legend and Melbourne City goalkeeper, Melissa Barbieri and former Adelaide United player and current Assistant Coach, Maruschka Waldus as his two Assistant Coaches.
Meanwhile former Newcastle Jets’ Goalkeeper and the club’s current Goalkeeper Coach, Claire Coelho, will join the team to lead the goalkeeping group.
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The all-female assistant coaching group are products of the Ninja A-League, playing significant roles in the competition as players and coaches, and will join Hopkins’ backroom staff for the side’s second-ever appearance as a team following the inaugural All Stars side faced Arsenal Women in front of a packed stadium in Melbourne in 2024.
Barbieri, who played in the inaugural season of the Ninja A-League, is an icon of the game, famously captaining the Matildas to the 2010 Asian Cup.
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A pioneer of the women’s professional game, Barbieri played an on-field mentoring role for Melbourne City this season, winning the Premiership and Championship in her 11th season, and for the first time will join up with Hopkins on the same side, after going head-to-head on numerous occasions.
Waldus joins the All Stars’ coaching group from Adelaide United after being appointed as the Reds’ first full time Ninja A-League Women’s Assistant Coach last season.
Waldus’ football career has seen her play in Europe, America and Australia, playing over 70 matches in the Ninja A-League for Western Sydney Wanderers and Adelaide United.
The Dutchwoman was an integral part of Theo Tsiounis’ Adelaide side that finished in the Finals positions and went agonisingly close to the club’s best-ever finish.
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Rounding out the coaching team and coming on board as the Goalkeeper Coach for the All Stars is former Ninja A-League goalkeeper Coelho.
With the Newcastle Jets for a decade, Coelho moved into coaching during the 2022-23 season with the Jets’ Academy before becoming the Novocastrians’ Goalkeeper Coach at the start of the 2024/25 season.
Ninja A-League All-Stars Head Coach, Jeff Hopkins said: “I’m excited to be working alongside some of the league’s most talented female coaches for this occasion and I’m looking forward to building the side, getting into camp and preparing for another historic fixture for the Ninja A-League.”
“Not only have we brought great coaching minds together, but the group have been incredible servants of the women’s domestic game in Australia, whether that be on the field or off it.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for all of us to bring together our learnings, work with a team that will have an abundance of talent and showcase to the world what the Ninja A-League has to offer.”
The Ninja A-League Women All Stars will face Chelsea FC Women on Wednesday 12 August at Allianz Stadium as part of the Sydney Super Cup with the squad set to be announced closer to the fixture.
