Auckland FC eye top candidates for women’s team head coach role

Auckland FC owner Bill Foley assured fans the women’s team would receive attention and opportunities equal to the men’s team.

Only a year later, eight games into their inaugural A-League season, the men’s team have been mostly thriving both on and off the pitch. They maintain their position at the top of the table, selling out games and generating buzz.

This raises the question of whether the women’s team, set to compete in the 2025-26 season, will garner similar success and fandom.

The first step towards achieving this will be hiring the right leader. They need a coach who understands the women’s game and brings the same winning mentality that Steve Corica brought to the men’s team.

However, despite having not been officially confirmed by the club, the Herald understands the following names make up the shortlist for Auckland FC’s women’s head coaching role, to be announced in early 2025.

Jeff Hopkins

One of the most credentialled yet realistic coaches on this list could be knocking on the door as the inaugural AFC women’s coach.

The former Welsh international defender most notably played club football for Fulham and Reading in England’s professional structure.

Now coaching the Melbourne Victory women’s team, he led the side to consecutive A-League titles in 2021 and 2022.

And while he might be settled on his success in Melbourne, he’s been with the side since mid-2016, and like Steve Corica on the men’s side, could be looking for a new challenge.

Alex Epakis

Leaving Perth Glory’s women’s side in June this year for personal reasons makes Epakis available for the Auckland role.

And he wouldn’t be a bad steal. He was the youngest Australian manager to obtain an FFA A licence and holds a Master of Coaching degree where he began his career with Sydney University, leading them to a league win.

He then managed Perth and joined the Philippines women’s national team as a scout and analyst during the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. In August 2023, his contract with Perth Glory was extended until 2025 before eventually departing.

Katie Duncan

The 124-capped Football Fern has been deeply involved in coaching the domestic women and girls scene since retiring in 2019, following a decorated playing career that included three Olympic Games and four Fifa Women’s World Cups.

As the former girls academy football director and head coach at Auckland United, and the present head of women’s football at Eastern Suburbs AFC in Auckland, Duncan is a strong candidate if the club wants to stay local.

She brings invaluable connections with young domestic players and Football Ferns considering a move to Auckland.

Alana Gunn

Like Duncan, Gunn, too, has been heavily present in the domestic scene.

Before New Zealand Football appointed Gunn as the women’s talent manager and U-17 women’s head coach, she had spent six seasons as head coach of Canterbury United Pride. Gunn also served as Mainland Football women’s development manager.

During her tenure, she won the National League three times and worked with players such as Kate Taylor and Gabi Rennie, who have become regulars for the Football Ferns.

With a proven track record of coaching teams to titles, Auckland might be inclined to pull the trigger on this hire.

Catherine Cannuli

The former Matilda stepped down from her role as head coach of the Western Sydney Wanderers in May 2022, having joined the club as an assistant coach in the women’s football department in 2017.

Since then she has served as the technical director for the Southern Districts Soccer Association in New South Wales.

In addition to her coaching credentials, she has gained television broadcasting experience as an analyst for Fifa World Cups.

After a few years away from professional football, a return to the league for the 2025-26 season might be just the opportunity Canulli is looking for.

Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.