Brisbane Roar have made history with the appointment of Johnathan Clemente as the new head coach of their A-League Women’s side, with the 27-year-old becoming the youngest boss in the history of the A-Leagues.
Clemente, who has spent the last four seasons as assistant coach to Jeff Hopkins at Melbourne Victory, takes over on a two-year deal.
He replaces Alex Smith, who departed the Roar to take over as head coach of USL Super League club Brooklyn FC Women.
“I am incredibly honoured at the opportunity to lead of one of the most successful clubs in the country, with one of the best squads in the league and to do it in one of the most beautiful places in the world,” Clemente said.
“I see exciting parallels between Brisbane Roar and my own journey. We’ve been hungry, ambitious and have spent the past few years building strong foundations. Now it’s our time to come together and establish ourselves at the pinnacle of women’s football in this country.
“Alex Smith and the squad were tremendous last season, finishing fourth and were one game away from a Grand Final, with a host of exciting, young, local talent. I’ll be looking to build on the great work, create consistency & continue the upward trajectory of the program.
“Our team will be built around shared principles, not set structures, with the objective being not how we play, but how we feel. We want our fans to believe in the fluid football they’ll see, we want our young girls in the crowd to believe they can represent Brisbane one day and we want our squad to believe that when you represent our team & our state, anything is possible.”
“Being the only professional pathway for Women in the state is a great responsibility and it is a great honour to help continue Queensland’s traditions of developing the next generation of Matildas.”
Brisbane Roar Sporting Director James Gow added: “Johnathan is coach with a very clear idea of how he wants to play, train and develop his team. We conducted a thorough recruitment process and his desire for the role and clarity in how he works stood out.
“Despite his young age he has a lot of experience in the A-League Women’s space. He really buys into the strategy we as a club wish to execute. We are looking forward to welcoming him and seeing him get to work.”
Clemente takes over a Roar squad who finished fourth last season, reaching the semi-finals of the A-League Women, and is headlined by talents like Chloe Lincoln, Momo Hayashi, Tameka Yallop, Sharn Freier and Grace Kuilamu.
During his time at Victory, the 27-year-old led the club’s NPLW Female Pathways as well as their Afghan Women’s Team programs.
Prior to working under Hopkins, Clemente was building a remarkable resume in Victorian women’s football.
He took over a relegated Essendon Royals side at age 19 and led them to promotion in his first season in charge.
At 20, he took over Heidelberg United, becoming the youngest senior head coach in the NPL. Across three seasons with the Bergers, he achieved the club’s highest league finish in 12 years and developed 10 players who made the step up to the A-League Women.
Clemente will now look to continue his dizzying trajectory at the Roar.