The phone of newly appointed Galaxy United coach Vincenzo Ierardo rang through for a good 10 seconds before he answered the call.
He was behind the wheel; finding time whilst driving to have a hands-free conversation with us about the future of the women’s game, the Geelong area and the enormity of the task at hand, moulding a club from scratch.
So in saying that, we’ll have to get used to talking to him on the road, as the Roxburgh Park local revealed he’s commuting to the Surf Coast and back a few times each week for the job, a three-hour round trip.
The young coach will have a busy few months ahead of him yet, who on top of travel commitments is facing what is self-admittedly the toughest challenge of his short coaching career to date.
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Firstly congratulations on the new job, can you tell me a little bit about how the job fell into your hands and the processes behind the scenes?
Thank you. Galaxy contacted me about four weeks after the season had finished and initially I was going to stay at my current club [at the time]. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way and Galaxy contacted me probably five-six weeks ago now and we met up. They told me their vision and it tied in with what I wanted to do with my coaching, so it all fell into my hands I guess.
Can you tell me a little bit about that vision that the club has and how that fits in with where you want to go with your coaching?
They wanted to obviously get a team together in that region, and offer a pathway for the girls, tied in with trying to get some of the best girls in the state into the region so that the local girls have something to aspire to. It’s more about development rather than the initial result, which fits in with were I want to take my coaching. Obviously with no relegation, we’ve got plenty of time to build a culture of the team and the direction that we want to head in.
You’ve signed a number of youngsters so far, and you’ve had plenty of experience coaching the youth in your time with the Skilleroos and the NTC set-up. Is that a sign of what your intentions are in the transfer market?
We need to bring in the right young player as well, someone that wants to be at the next level and not just be satisfied with this level. Having said that, we’re in a senior environment and we’re not just here to make up the numbers. We want to win and that’s going to be the focus, but having said that too, we want the right players in the environment as well.
Who do you make of the greater Geelong area as a developmental hub for women football players?
I’ve coached some players from the area in the past and to see their names registered in the trials [is nice]. I’ve got a good idea of the region and I’ve got some good contacts that know the region really well. They’ve explained everything I need to know and hopefully here on in, the club from a blank piece of paper can be put together. There will be teething issues, but I’m sure that we can get it right and build on from there.
For lack of a better term, the pride and joy of the area Laura Spiranovic being the first signing must be significant as well, as it gives the younger ones from the area something to strive for?
Taking on the job, she was the first player that I wanted to make sure that came across. Speaking to her, I didn’t really have to sell it to her, she wanted to come back home to Geelong where it all started. She wanted to be the inspiration for the younger girls that are at the club. Even when she was introduced to the younger girls the other night, you could feel the buzz from them seeing a current W-League player at their club. We can’t explain some of the things that the girls are feeling, but she’s an amazing person and I’m really looking forward to having her on board.
Are you concerned at all about the distance of the club being a factor that works against you in regards to recruitment? Or does that kind of make it a blessing in disguise as you look towards pushing through the talent within the area?
Long-term, obviously the talent from Geelong is going to be a massive thing. We’re doing all the right things so that even though say I’m not there in five years time, or whatever that timeframe is, that we’ve got somethings in place so that the young girls in that region can end up being in the first team. Having said that, there will definitely be girls from day dot that will be in the first team.
I know some of them already and some of the girls that have trialled were [from the area]. Location could be a problem for some but at the end of the day, the players I’m trying to target are Geelong-based girls who don’t have to travel as far. We want it to be a regionalised team, to fit in with how the FFV have selected most of these [consortium] teams. We’ve got the talent pool from this area, so as long as we’re doing the right thing in the junior base – which I’m pretty confident we are – long-term this club will be the place.
What about the facilities, what is Galaxy United working with at the moment and what access to grounds, training pitches and all that do you have?
All the home games and our trials that we’re going to have next week are going to be based out in Torquay. We are in negotiations with someone in Geelong to mix things up and help things out with our future development, so potentially another training venue to go alongside Torquay. At this stage, Torquay will be the home ground, but in terms of training, there might be the occasional session in Melbourne and definitely bring training to the centre of Geelong.
Is this the biggest job you’ve had to undertake in terms of constructing a team from scratch?
In terms of a challenge, it’s definitely the biggest challenge. It’s a blank piece of paper but having said that, it’s probably the thing that attracted me the most to the job. Me along with the committee and the rest of the coaching staff have really got an opportunity to build the club the way that we want. You don’t go into an environment that’s already set up. We can have a direct influence on how the club might be in 10 years time. That’s probably one of the biggest drawing cards for me. As big as that hurdle is for some people, I see it as a challenge, and an exciting one too.