A-Leagues great Joe Montemurro sat down with aleagues.com.au and discussed his journey to the CommBank Matildas and his transition from club football to the international arena.
A 19-year path has led Joe Montemurro to becoming head coach of the CommBank Matildas.
He’s experienced it all in Australian football and delivered silverware to some of the biggest clubs in the world.
The Melbournian went on to deliver a Women’s Super League title to Arsenal after being prised away from City in 2017. He then claimed an unprecedented treble at Italian giants Juventus before winning the league with European juggernaut Lyon this season.
But it is in the humble surrounds of Sunshine in Melbourne’s west where Montemurro took his first steps in senior coaching almost a decade ago. Historic club Caroline Springs George Cross – then known as Sunshine George Cross before relocating and changing their name in 2019 – turned to the unproven 37-year-old in March 2006.
That experience, which resulted in the rookie coach preserving the club’s top-flight status in Victoria, is not lost on a coach now tasked with leading an Australian national team into an exciting new era.
“You always reflect on your journey. You probably realise the importance of the journey later on in your career, and all those little values that you learn along the way,” Montemurro told aleagues.com.au.
“The reality is the coaching journey is never clear, never perfect. It would be easy if it was perfect.
“I had some great times, met some great people along the way. Football’s not only the wins and losses and the results, it’s about meeting amazing people along the way, and learning about life.
“With the humble beginnings. I still think it’s a great club. What it’s done for the community and what it’s done for football over these 60-70 years is amazing.
“You learn so much and it’s all part of an amazing journey.”
Wherever Montemurro has coached, he has won.
After back-to-back Championships with Melbourne City to go with a Premiership, the 55-year-old delivered WSL and FA Women’s Super League titles to Arsenal. That was followed by five pieces of silverware at Juventus, including Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.
Then, Montemurro guided Lyon to a fourth consecutive Premiere Ligue crown, having also led the club to the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals.
The Matildas is the next stop on Montemurro’s incredible journey.
“Obviously it looks good on paper,” he smiled. “You’ve gone through the learning processes of working in Australia and then all of a sudden now you’re the national coach.
“If you’re plotting a career, yes it is a pinnacle. But it’s probably something that hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ve said a few times it is quite emotional. To have the opportunity to be the national coach and also to be the national coach of a brand that’s so important to the sporting landscape in Australia, I think it is extra special.
“So pinnacles, put it this way, if I were to have a successful journey with the Matildas all going well, you’d probably think that might be enough in the football. You’d be happy with that.”
Montemurro returns to Australian shores following eight years abroad.
Have his principles changed while coaching in Europe? The A-Leagues great – known for his entertaining and proactive football – said: “I think they evolved.
“I always had a clear way that I wanted my teams to play. I was lucky enough to be able to instil into all teams that we we were lucky enough to manage but you probably get better, they get smarter, they adapt to the group that you’ve got.
“Sometimes you might not have the exact group that can instil your ideas and your methodology, but you’re always making adjustments under your beliefs, always making adjustments on what you believe is the other core principles.
“Because the principles are what get you through in the games, adapting for each game is just tinkering with what your beliefs are.
“I probably learned more in leading groups. How to lead amazing people that have done more than me in football and done more than me in the industry, and learning how to reflect and work with them and how they interact with the group.
“The football part always evolves, keeping your principles, keeping the way that you want to work. But I think the biggest thing is learning how to lead groups.”
Montemurro has also swapped club football for the international arena.
That in itself has its own challenges away from the day-to-day life of coaching a club.
“Watching football is probably an illness that I’ve gotten. So that never ends,” he said. “I think the biggest challenge is making sure that there’s a consistency of message even when they’re away from camp. I think that’s really, really important.
“This camp here is formulating some language, just some ideas that we know are the base principles that we bring into camp all the time and it could help them while they’re away with their club team. That’s really important.
“There’s three or four things which are non-negotiables that we’re going to bring consistently into camp. But more importantly, they can use them to develop while they’re away from camp. Because the reality is, they’re away more than they’re with you. So I suppose that dynamic changes, because you can’t be consistent with the message. You’ve got to be strong with that.
“I think the second thing, it’s exciting for me because I get the opportunity to really assess and work in terms of the greater good of the game.
“Coaching the Matildas, playing good football, creating situations that are important, but more importantly, to have a look at the game as a whole, and see how we can can lift the next level for obviously sustainability, but more more importantly, for generations to come.”
