By JARROD POTTER
CREATING a high-calibre culture for women’s south-east soccer enticed Stuart Munro across to Southern United.
The former Glasgow Rangers champion has been a south-eastern men’s soccer fixture for the last two decades, but decided to join the start-up club on the coast.
He’ll become the inaugural senior coach for Southern United ahead of the maiden Women’s National Premier League Victoria season.
The club – formed by a five-club consortium of Casey Comets, Seaford, Mornington, Langwarrin and Peninsula Strikers – put the feelers out for a new coach and immediately snatched up Munro once he showed interest.
After relinquishing his senior coaching role at Dandenong Thunder at the end of the season, Munro thought the opportunity to cultivate the south-east’s female soccer talent was a new challenge worth pursuing.
“I guess that’s what the attraction is – first and foremost it’s a massive change coming across from the men’s game – where I’ve been involved in for many, many years,” Munro said.
“I started thinking about the women’s game more than a year ago.
“I just felt there were a lot of positives and sensed the FFA was pushing the women’s game and it was going to become more popular.
“When this came up a couple of months ago, because it’s a brand new club and a brand new competition and the club was based in the Peninsula area where I live, I felt it was going to be a really good fit for me and really quite interested in.”
Munro did his homework on the new club, and everything about the WNPL consortium impresses him as he looks ahead to senior recruiting for season one.
“When the club approached me about taking on the role, I did a fair bit of due diligence so that it wouldn’t be just a short term thing,” Munro said.
“Ever since the day I thought this could be really good, I’ve never had a negative thought and everything I thought about has been positive.
“The very thought to build something from basically nothing is exciting – we don’t even know where we are going to play from – all those things are quite exciting and you get to put your blueprint on it straight away.”
Munro wants to concentrate on development in year one – success of course won’t be forgotten at United, but he wants to lay the framework to build the south-ast region’s soccer for years to come.
“I want to concentrate on developing the southern girls and giving them a pathway to come through and hopefully one day play in the W-League,” Munro said. “We also want to be a competitive team and have these young girls come and support us – we want them to be proud to come and watch the senior girls as that’s where they’re going to strive to reach.
“We want to create a culture and environment in the club – from the 13s to the seniors – that will make everyone feel part of it.”
Southern United president Theresa Deas – a former Matildas and Casey Comets player – believed Stuart’s signing was a great boon for women’s soccer in the local region.
For more information on joining the club – with tryouts for under-13s, under-15s, under-18s and senior women’s teams currently running – contact Southern United via its Facebook page www.facebook.com/southernutd or www.pitchero.com/clubs/southernunitedfc
