Poletti 
Emily Husband with the Matildas during the May/June FIFA international window. Photo: Rachel Bach/Football Australia
Joe Montemurro has named the first person on his Matildas coaching staff as Emily Husband after he was appointed as coach of the national side last week.
Husband, coming off the back of a Championship winning season with the Central Coast Mariners, which saw her become just the fourth female head coach to lift the trophy in the A-League Women, will depart Gosford to take up the role.
She thanked the club for giving her the job as coach two years ago, after her success with Sydney University in the NPL Women’s NSW competition, which included two Premierships (2020, 2022) and the 2022 Club Championship.
She was previously an assistant coach at Canberra United (2020/21) and also worked with Montemurro on the coaching staff at the A-League Women All Stars game.
Husband was also part of the Matildas coaching staff during the May/June FIFA international window as part of Football Australia’s team of coaches initiative in what were Tom Sermanni’s last games in charge of the national side, and she described the appointment to the Matildas coaching staff as an honour.
“To be trusted with the chance to contribute, even in a small way, to the Matildas and their future is an absolute privilege,” she said.
“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.”
In choosing the former Mariners boss to be an assistant coach, Montemurro described Husband as an astute modern coach who has 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,” he said.
“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.”
She will commence her full-time role prior to the June/July international window in Western Australia where the Matildas will play Slovenia in Perth and Panama in Bunbury and Perth.
Listen to the latest episode of The Dubcast, Round Ball Australia’s Women’s Football podcast on Spotify, Apple, or watch on YouTube, with new episodes every Wednesday.