Austalia hires title-winning coach Emily Husband to assistant role

11th June 2025 Oliver Taliku

Australia’s national team, the Matildas, have made an exciting new appointment following the conclusion of the 2024-25 domestic season. 

Australia has added an up and coming coach to their ranks this summer, with Emily Husband leaving her role in the A-League in favour of international management.

Husband has made waves in Australia’s top domestic league since first joining the Central Coast Mariners in 2023 where the manager built up a seriously impressive profile.

After building the team from scratch, Husband’s Mariners finished fifth in her first season with an encouraging postseason run giving the club even more hope.

This year was the best season of Husband’s career by far though and after a gruelling campaign her team was able to finish fourth in the league, going one better than the year before.

But this time there was a fairytale ending for the Mariners, as they battled against all odds to advance to the A-League Grand Final.

The final went all the way to penalties and after a nervy shootout it was Husband’s side that came out on top to win their first ever championship, just two years after the club was reinstated.

Emily Husband joins Matildas

Following a special run with the Mariners, Husband got her call up to the big leagues, with the head coach moving into an assistant role for the Matildas.

Husband will work alongside Australia manager Joe Montemurro as the team prepares for the AFF women’s championship which takes place later this summer.

Joe Montemurro on Emily Husband’s appointment: “Emily is an astute, modern coach who’s already proven her quality at the domestic level. Her work with the Central Coast Mariners has been phenomenal and demonstrates the qualities she will bring to the CommBank Matildas. Emily has a deep understanding of the game, an ability to connect with players, and a fresh perspective that will be invaluable to our setup. I’m looking forward to working closely with her once again.”

Emily Husband on her new challenge: “It’s an honour to be appointed as Assistant Coach to the CommBank Matildas. To be trusted with the chance to contribute, even in a small way, to the Matildas and their future is an absolute privilege. They are such an important part of Australian sport and culture, and I’m really excited to help push the team forward.

“Joe is someone I’ve always had enormous respect for. Not just for his football brain, but for the way he leads.  We’ve had the chance to work together before, and I’m genuinely thrilled to build on that now as we hopefully play a part in guiding the Matildas to reach greater heights.”

The Matildas finished fourth at the Women’s World Cup in 2023 but struggled in the She Believes Cup this year, losing all three games.

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