Sermanni: We've been able to bring back a little bit more confidence in the squad
Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni said it was nostalgic to finish his CommBank Matildas coaching career in Canberra, where he played his football all the way back in 1984.
Sermanni led the team for 151 ‘A’ Internationals across three separate stints in the national team setup.
He was speaking to the media alongside Amy Sayer after Australia’s 4-1 victory over Argentina on Monday evening.
“I came to Canberra in 1984 to play for Canberra City, and we used to play here when there was an actual track around the field,” he said.
“When I finished up playing, I was with Canberra Cosmos as a coach at this stadium. So it's really quite nostalgic and really nice to be back here.”
Sermanni expressed that the difference from when he first took the team in 1994, to taking the team today, is something that he can never get used to.
“Every time we've played a game at home, and I've walked out onto the field, and just looked at the crowd, it's just been phenomenal experience,” he said.
“I've never witnessed a crowd like the Matildas crowd. When I played in England you had crowds that were very football related - it was still never an atmosphere like it's been created now with the Matildas, it's just unique.
“I pinch myself when I go out and stand in front of it before the game starts and think: I can't believe that I'm actually still here. I can't believe I'm back and had the privilege to be back in this environment.”
He was asked to reflect on his most significant contributions in Australian football over his time.
“The NTC [National Training Camp] programs, because they're the ones in that period from 2006 to 2012 - and a bit further on - that produced the players like Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord,” he said.
“We had great coaches in place, with a great system in place. So that was one of the things that we created, that I feel was really beneficial.
“The second thing was the W-League [now A-League Women]. The W-League has been really instrumental in giving opportunities to domestic players that might not have had opportunities if we didn't have that league.”
In this tenure, he said that he hoped to have bedded in different players as regulars in the national team.
“The last Olympic campaign really hurt the team quite hard,” he said.
“There were great expectations amongst the team, external expectations were great, and things didn't work out to plan.
“I felt when I came into the squad, the confidence and the belief in the players, collectively and individually, was a fairly low ebb.
“We've been able to bring back a little bit more confidence in the squad, but we’ve also been able to start to bring players who have been on the outside of the squad into believing that they feel part of the squad. [For example], players like Amy [Sayer] that have come in. If anything, hopefully I've achieved that.”
Finally, he said that while there was plenty in the broader Australian football ecosystem to work on, the team was still in a good place.
“When we've got a fully fit and healthy squad, the Matildas are still a very, very competitive team,” he said.
“People forget [we were] this close to getting the silverware at the last World Cup and the Olympics before the last one. So the team is close.”
Sermanni now passes the baton to his good friend Joe Montemurro, who will select his first squad for games against Panama and Slovenia later this month.
COMMBANK MATILDAS | WA SERIES ONE | MATCH SCHEDULE
CommBank Matildas v Slovenia
Date: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Kick-off: 7.00pm WST / 9.00pm AEST
Venue: HBF Park, Perth
TV Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: Buy Tickets
CommBank Matildas v Slovenia
Date: Sunday, 29 June 2025
Kick-off: 6.00pm WST / 8.00pm AEST
Venue: HBF Park, Perth
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: Buy Tickets