Western United coaching staff members Helen Winterburn and Vince Ierardo have been presented with the opportunity to continue their development alongside Australian youth national teams.
Winterburn will travel alongside the Young Matildas for their AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Round 2 Qualifiers in Vietnam in June, while Ierardo will be off to France with the Olyroos during their campaign at the Maurice Revello Tournament.
READ MORE: Noah Botic in Olyroos squad for Maurice Revello Tournament
Western United General Manager of Football Mal Impiombato said the recognition for the coaches was equally as impressive and special as it is for players who have been selected for international camps.
“We are delighted that Helen and Vince will be given these opportunities and extremely thankful to Football Australia for their willingness and support in taking them on,” he said.
“Development of our coaches and staff is of equal importance to us as is development of our players, and this opportunity will be fantastic for both Helen and Vince in their ongoing career growth.
“With Helen’s work in our inaugural Liberty A-League Women season and Vince’s continued excellence since the Club’s inception, both are richly deserving of this opportunity and we look forward to continuing to support their development.”
READ MORE: Kahli Johnson headed to Vietnam for Young Matildas camp
Winterburn became Western United’s inaugural Liberty A-League Women Assistant Coach after guiding FV Emerging to the NPLW Victoria Finals for the first time in the program’s history.
A key part of United’s run to the Grand Final, Winterburn even took charge of United’s 6-0 win over Newcastle Jets from the touchline with Mark Torcaso unavailable.
This will be Winterburn’s first exposure to a national team environment where she will link up with Western United winger Kahli Johnson in a bid to secure the Young Matildas’ qualification for next year’s AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in Uzbekistan.
Ierardo is no stranger to international work, having worked alongside Western United Academy Director Anthony Frost and other top football minds to undertake analysis work for the Socceroos at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
United’s Isuzu UTE A-League Men Performance Analyst will now apply his skills to an international environment again as the Olyroos break new ground for Australian football.
Australia has never sent a team to the prestigious Maurice Revello Tournament with Ierardo, Western United striker Noah Botic and the remainder of the playing squad and coaching staff set to make history.
