The Matildas are without a coach or direction. It's a worrying sign for Australian football

With Tony Gustavsson's contract with Football Australia not being renewed after last year's Paris Olympics, the Australian women's national football team (Matildas) is currently rudderless, lacking a permanent head coach and a clear direction for development.

Gustavsson's departure was anticipated, as he had interviewed for multiple positions in the final months of his tenure, leading many to question why Football Australia was not immediately prepared with a replacement. In contrast, Australian men's national football team (Socceroos) coach Graham Arnold resigned on September 20, 2024, and was replaced three days later by current coach Tony Popovic.

Tom Sermanni has been appointed as the interim head coach for the Matildas, a reliable choice given his two previous stints coaching the team. However, he himself admits that there are currently no clear indications as to when a permanent head coach will be appointed. Football Australia has confirmed that Sermanni will once again lead the team in the friendly matches against South Korea in Sydney and Newcastle in April.

In January, former Australian international Heather Garriock stated that Football Australia missed the opportunity to sign top candidate Joe Montemurro, who has already signed a fixed two-year contract with Lyon. Garriock is currently responsible for coaching recruitment. Many other candidates are either under contract or lack relevant international coaching experience.

With the team failing to achieve any success in the SheBelieves Cup, and with Australia set to host the Women's Asian Cup, the pressure to find a permanent successor to Gustavsson is mounting. Former Matilda and Network 10 commentator Grace Gill stated, "I think the sooner they can get someone in with a good vision, a strong hold, and a clear directive, the better."

The issue is not limited to the senior team, as the U20 and U17 youth teams also lack a permanent coach, and the position of Technical Director for women's football is currently vacant. Before the 2023 Women's World Cup, Rae Dower held the position, but her contract was not renewed at the end of last year. Dower was responsible for matters related to women's football, including development pathways, competitions, national teams, and various other responsibilities, while also coaching youth teams.

Football Australia has stated that while there is currently no one person responsible for the position, Chief Football Officer Ernie Merrick and Football Australia's technical staff are covering those responsibilities. While there may be some benefits to having multiple people responsible for such a crucial position, without a clear voice in charge, is there a clear direction to follow?

Long-time youth team mentor Leah Blayney left earlier this year to become an assistant coach for the Japanese women's national team. There is currently no timeline for when that position will be permanently filled. Currently, Cory Babbage is in the role, while the junior national teams do not even have an interim coach.

Football, especially within national teams, operates from the top down in terms of playing style and direction. Gill said, "It's a really important role (the women's head coach). I think it needs to be really closely aligned with the other roles. Whoever is in that senior role needs to have a really close connection with Football Australia, the technical director, and the coaches of each of the youth levels."

The style of the national team is often the style of the national team coach, or, ideally, a national style. The youth tiers need to conform or adapt in certain ways to ensure that these players can adapt to the senior team when called up. Without a clear voice and direction, it could lead to uncertainty and instability at the highest level of the national team, affecting on-field performance.

Gill cited the USWNT's new coach, Emma Hayes, and her strategy to build connections between the youth tiers and the senior team. "From what I understand, she recently called in a camp from U17s all the way up to the senior team," Gill said. "You want all the national team players to understand the style, the formations, the tactics. That way, the transition from U17s to U20s to U23s looks seamless."

This could be a golden opportunity for Football Australia to reset its priorities and get a more aligned structure from top to bottom. Football Australia plans to have a junior national team coach in place before April. While finding a coach for that position is important, some questions remain—namely, whether their own style aligns with the philosophy of the new women's national team coach.

This leads to a fundamental problem in Australian football—at times, there seems to be a lack of direction about the type of player or style of play that is desired, which can lead to a constantly evolving style that is subject to the coach in charge. Gill said, "When you compare it to other nations, like Japan, for example, they have a famous 50-year football plan."

That plan details not only how the sport is to be developed across the nation, but also position archetypes and a national philosophy. Much like the JFA, the German Football Association (DFB) also reformed its men's team in the early 2000s, with both countries requiring their top domestic leagues to have youth academies.

The DFB also invested in a talent program that, from the age of eight, educated players on the tactical knowledge and technical skills required to play German football, eventually culminating in a victory at the 2014 Men's World Cup. Japan also has a fully professional women's league, while Australia's women's league remains semi-professional.

Football Australia has outlined 11 principles for the future of Australian football, but many of these have been completed and do not include anything about a football philosophy. This could be a defining moment for Australian women's football.

Hiring the right people for all four positions could take the sport to the next level. If not, Australia risks being left behind by the rest of the world.