Football West pays tribute to Tom Sermanni

Football West would like to congratulate Tom Sermanni on his appointment as the new Head Coach of the United States Women’s National Team.

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Sermanni’s second stint as the Westfield Matildas head coach began in 2005 and during his 8-year tenure he oversaw two successful FIFA Women’s World Cup campaigns in 2007 & 2011 where the Westfield Matildas made the quarter-finals stage on both occasions, an AFC Women’s Asian Cup Championship in 2010 and helped Australia’s Women’s World Ranking climb to their highest ever position of 9th (September 2010 & August 2012). Sermanni was also named the AFC Coach of the Year in 2007.

Sermanni is no stranger to US Women’s Football having previously coached the San Jose CyberRays and New York Power in the WUSA from 2001-2003. Sermanni will replace Pia Sundhage who coached the U.S. Women’s National Team from 2008-2012.

Football West Chief Executive Peter Hugg paid tribute to Sermanni’s services to the women’s game, which included regular visits to WA.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Tom since 1984 when he played for Canberra City in the then National Soccer League and I class him as one of my closest and dearest friends. Our paths continually crossed at the Australian Institute of Sport where he became a coach and when I was CEO at the Australian Women’s Soccer Association, he began his first stint as the national Matildas coach when we took the team to the 1995 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. Prior to coming to Perth, I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time in Tom’s presence as he and his wife kindly put me up in Sydney”.

“Women’s football in WA has benefited immensely from Tom’s regular visits to Perth and I vividly recall a number of sessions that he put on for our NTC women’s squads as well as his attendance at our Bankwest Girl’s Day Out at nib Stadium last year. In recent years he has had a major bearing on the rise and development of local Matildas such as Kate Gill, Sam Kerr, Collette McCallum and Lisa De Vanna and I am sure they all join us in both our disappointment that he is leaving but congratulating him on this wonderful appointment and personal and professional achievement. He is a one off and is always cooperative and enthusiastic and what he has achieved in women’s football in Australia is immeasurable and will never be repeated”.

Westfield Matilda and Perth Glory Women star Kate Gill was also full of praise for the charismatic Scot.

“I’d just like to thank him for his services to women’s football, he’s been fantastic for me and I’d luck to wish him all the best for the future,” said Gill.

“He’s been through the highs and lows of my career with me and I’d like to thank him for all his time and effort.”

Sermanni’s final coaching duties with the Westfield Matildas will be the East Asian Football Federation East Asian Cup Qualification tournament which will be held in Shenzen, China PR from 20-24 November 2012