Stajcic has been key to the Filipinas' remarkable turnaround
In case it isn’t clear yet, having a good coach matters.
For proof, look no further than the Philippine women’s national football team (PWNFT), whose meteoric rise to no. 46 in the FIFA women’s world rankings is coinciding with the tenure of veteran internationalist Alen Stajcic.
With the Australian-born Stajcic at the helm, the Filipinas not only climbed several spots up the world rankings, but they also made history by qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The PWNFT also won the 2022 AFF Women's Championship and bagged a bronze medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games—the program’s first in 37 long years.
The players obviously deserve a ton of credit for this remarkable turnaround.
But it would be a crime to not give credit where credit is due: to Stajcic, who has been a winner pretty much everywhere he’s been, including as the head coach of the Australian women's national football team, which he steered to the quarterfinals of the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
All that isn’t loss on Sarina Bolden, arguably the Filipinas’ best player and unquestioned star.
“He’s been one of the best assets of this team, and its growth and success is because of him and the staff that he’s brought on,” said Bolden of Stajcic in an interview published in the FIFA website. “His knowledge of the sport and tactics and just professionally I think has really helped this team get to where we are today. He knows what he’s talking about.”
No doubt, a coach who keeps winning knows his stuff. But, judging by Bolden’s assessment, Stajcic also has a way of getting through to his players.
“At the same time, he pushes us to be better football players and, without him knowing, also be better people and hold ourselves with more confidence and believe in ourselves and stand up for ourselves,” Bolden added.
And to think Stajcic has been around for only about a year and change. It’s also something that excites the ultra-talented but humble forward, who is expecting even greater things under Stajcic’s leadership.
“He’s not going to have hopes and dreams and just pray we do well. We’re going to plan and prepare. That approach has really pushed us forward…” Bolden further shared. “There’s still so much to learn from him, which is the scary part because we’ve only had him for a little over a year. We’ve done the work of ten years in one. So, to see that much growth in one year, it’ll be really exciting to see where he’ll take us and what we can achieve moving forward.”
These are exciting times, indeed, for the Filipinas, and Stajcic is a big reason why.