20241103 Aleague Men R3 Victory v Bulls-82

Mile Sterjovski coaching on the sidelines of a game at AAMI Park. Photo: Marcus Robertson/Round Ball Australia

Macarthur FC have announced a three-year contract extension for their coach Mile Sterjovski, which will take him to the end of the 2027/28 season.

In his first full season with the Bulls for the 2023/24 season, Sterjovski guided his side to fifth place after replacing Dwight Yorke, as well as achieving an Australia Cup title.

“[I’m] very grateful to be still part of the club and proud to be leading the team. It’s been a great journey so far, with ups and downs,” the former Socceroo explained.

“My ambition is quite simple, I want us to be a successful team first and foremost. I think we are going to be a great club, one of the best in the A-League.

“It’s important that we are all behind the club. I think we are moving in the right direction. The fan base is growing and we all have a big job to do. I can see us being a big club in the future.”

Currently five points adrift of the finals positions, it’s been a challenging past 12 months for Macarthur, from the infamous match-fixing scandal to captain Valère Germain suddenly departing for Japan without any warning.

However, club CEO Sam Krslovic saw no reason why the board should move in a different direction, given Sterjovski’s experience and familiarity around Macarthur.

“Mile has been with the club since its inception,” he said.

“He has helped develop and shape the foundations of the club both on and off the field, culminating in the Australia Cup victory, qualification for the Asian Champions League 2, and, above all, player development and opportunities.

“We look forward to continuing the positive trajectory with Mile over the coming years.”

The Campbelltown-based club next face the Newcastle Jets at home in a bid to salvage their season, coming off the back of a 5-4 win over Adelaide prior to the international break.

“I think it was super important to get those goals. For the confidence of the team, to be able to score again was amazing,” Sterjovski said.

“As a coach, it was a bit of a roller-coaster (against Adelaide in their 5-4 win), hoping to not concede so many and keep scoring those goals.

“You’re always learning as a coach how to deal with things.

“It hasn’t been easy having players leave, players going away on national team duty, but I think we’re handling it pretty well.”

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