Joe Montemurro is currently the manager of Arsenal in the FA Women’s Super League, but will step down from that role at the end of the season to have a well-deserved break, recharge, refresh and review.

Joe has transformed Arsenal since his arrival in 2017 and has won the Championship, the League Cup, been runners up in the FA Cup and the League Cup and made the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.

This conversation reveals Joe’s very humble personality and looks at his journey from coaching juniors at his beloved Brunswick Juventus in the Victorian Premier League, through to Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in the W League before taking up the incredible challenge with Arsenal in the FA Women’s Super League.

He discusses coach education in both Australia and Italy and his experiences in the differences from ‘how to coach’ to ‘what to coach’. He also discusses how his coaching has changed and matured over the journey and the importance of resilience when being under the spotlight for coaches.

In this conversation with Gary Cole, we meet a humble, open and honest Joe Montemurro, who speaks about his desire to build a legacy by leaving each club and team he has worked at in a better place than when he arrived.

Don't miss this deep dive into Joe Montemurro’s Football Coaching Life.

Tanya Oxtoby’s amazing football journey began in Wickham, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, approximately 1500km north of Perth.

She is currently the Manager of Bristol City Women’s Football Club in the FA Women’s Super League, and Assistant Manager with the England U19s, albeit on maternity leave after giving birth to a new son, Albie Kempski Oxtoby.

Tanya captained Perth Glory for 40 games across four seasons after playing in the WNSL alongside Tal Karp, Lisa De Vanna and Nicola Williams. Her playing journey took her to the UK to play in the FA Women’s National League with Doncaster Rovers Belles.

Her coaching journey began in Western Australia at the Football West Training Centre as well as her establishing her own Football Academy. A UEFA A Licence and a Masters in Sports Psychology provides her a strong foundation to help grow and develop players and teams. Tanya worked at Notts County and Birmingham City before taking on the Head Coaching role at Bristol City in 2018 where she works with one of the smallest budgets in the competition.

Tanya was open, honest and willing to share in our discussion around coaching and developing players, the resilience needed to coach as well as coaching at the highest level while suffering from Covid and being pregnant!

Please join me in sharing Tanya Oxtoby’s Football Coaching Life.

Ernie Merrick is well known in Australian football circles. His most recent coaching role was Head Coach of A-League side the Newcastle Jets, and he has also coached the Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory in the A-League, where he had great on-field success in terms of both results and developing players.

Ernie also had a short stint as the Coach of the Hong Kong National Team.

Prior to his A League experiences Ernie played at Frankston City, coached and played at Doveton, and was assistant coach at Frankston Pines in the Victorian State Premier League. 

He moved on from the Victorian competitions to the National Soccer League and coached at Preston Lions and Sunshine George Cross.

He was then appointed as the inaugural Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) Head Coach, where he helped to develop players for the Australian Junior National teams, including Josh Kennedy, Scott McDonald, Matthew Spiranovic, Eugene Galekovic, Paul Giannou, Con Blatsis, Danny Allsopp, Leigh Broxham, Adrian Leijer, Roddy & Andy Vargas, Jimmy Jeggo, Simon Colosimo and Vince Grella – to name a few!

Perhaps most well remembered as the hugely successful inaugural Coach at Melbourne Victory, where he helped build one of the A-League's benchmark clubs from the ground up. During his time at Melbourne Victory from 2005 to 2011, he won the Championship in 2006-2007 and 2008-2009, the Premiership in 2006-2007 and 2008-2009 and the Pre-Season Cup in 2008-2009 completing the treble.

Ernie’s teams have always had a focus on attacking and scoring goals and indeed his record shows this.

Enjoy this journey into Ernie Merrick’s Football Coaching Life.