Wellington Phoenix have announced Amy Shepherd as their new Liberty A-League assistant coach.
Shepherd arrives on a full-time contract to work alongside head coach Paul Temple heading into the 2024-25 season.
The Englishwoman, who stood out from the “high level of candidates that applied for the role” having gained experienced in Australia, the United States and the UK, replaces Callum Holmes after the latter took over as the female development lead at Wellington’s academy following two seasons as the women’s assistant coach.
Shepherd joins the Phoenix on a full-time basis, “unlike most A-League women’s assistants who are part-time.”
“I love being an assistant coach and it’s long been an aspiration of mine to coach in the A-League,” Shepherd said.
“I’ve coached at a number of levels in Australia and I’m ready to take that next step. From the interview I had with the Phoenix it struck me how everyone speaks about the club.
“It sounds like there’s a really good environment to learn and develop.
“The club’s also ambitious and loyal and committed to people within it, so I’m really excited to work there.”
Shepherd brings a wealth of experience to the Phoenix, who will be looking to reach the Liberty A-League finals for the first time in their history.
She held roles at both Watford and Norwich City in England.
At Watford, she spent over a year as a coach of the club’s Under-23 women’s team while she was football development officer for more than 12 months at Norwich.
During an association spanning almost five years with Sydney University, Shepherd worked as a head coach, technical director, director of women’s football and football development officer.
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“I also do a lot of coach education so I was getting to a point where I needed to decide do I go into coaching or do I go into coach education?,” continued Shepherd, who started her coaching journey at Cambridge United.
“In football you end up doing so many different things to stay in the game so the thing that excites me the most is the fact that I’m coming into an assistant role where that’s my only job.
“My full-time focus is being an assistant coach and how much can I give to the players and how much how I can assist Paul to get the best out of the team.”
Shepherd joins English compatriot Temple, who has signed Portuguese goalkeeper Carolina Vilão and English forward Olivia Fergusson.
“Amy is really experienced, having coached in the U.K., U.S. and Australia,” Temple said.
“She’s actively working in the National Premier Leagues in Australia, so she has a really good knowledge of the A-League and the up and coming players, which is really helpful.
“We’re also really aligned on the playing philosophy, which is a massive thing from my perspective.”
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Temple added: “We’re trying to do things the right way here so it’s good that Amy can come onboard as a full-time assistant coach.
“She’s such a great character so we’re bringing in another great person to work for the football club.
“Amy’s going to bring something a little bit different leading into the season. It’s always good to have new voices and freshen things up.
“She has some skills that really complements the coaching team and will help the players. I think she can really help us be successful.”
