Canberra United is bracing for a major changing of the guard after Vicki Linton cut ties with the club a week after a disastrous A-League Women's campaign.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Canberra Times can reveal Linton is no longer United's coach after post-season negotiations led her to walk away, citing a desire to be closer to family in Sydney.
Her resignation came mere days after the club kicked off its season review following United's final game. The review hopes to find a way to return Canberra to its 2010s form of two championships and three premierships, increase the club's fanbase and build a bigger squad with more marquee names.
Linton contributed technical reports to the review, before opting to not renew her contract for a third year. She said she did not give Capital Football a chance to offer her another contract, as she had made up her mind.
"What is here in Canberra is pretty special. They've got a challenge to get back to those early days because the league's moved on, other clubs have moved on and there's a challenge there. I really hope that the club rises to that challenge, and we see it doing really well," she said.
"It has been really hard and this season we obviously didn't get the results we wanted but it's not all bad at all. Having [league record scorer] Michelle [Heyman] come back and do so well, like last year in particular, but finished well this season. It just shows how much more she's got to give ... that's been special."
MORE IN CANBERRA SPORT:
- 'It's horrible': Travel turnaround hits Capitals hard
- Basketball ACT: Venue audit needed for Canberra indoor sport
- Elvin wants to break down LGBTQIA+ barriers in cycling
- Sykes show pushes Capitals into first, despite depleted roster
- Heyman eyes century landmark after committing to 2022-23 ALW season
- Golden child: Champion Canberra Paralympians' wonderful news
United has had seven coaches since its inception in 2008 for the inaugural W-League season, now known as the ALW, with five being women.
Now the club is on the look-out for its eighth coach in 14 years, and Capital Football has already begun discussions to find a replacement.
Capital Football chief executive Chris Gardiner said Linton had led United through two of the most difficult seasons in the club's history, with unprecedented challenges during COVID-19.
"Her strong focus on building a unified culture within the team ensured resilience in the face of strict league-imposed travel and training protocols, regular testing, COVID cases within the playing group, unpredictable short-notice fixture changes, and the increased exposure-risk associated with travelling interstate for matches," he said.
"We respect Vicki's desire to be closer to family in Sydney and wish her all the very best for the future."
The former Matildas assistant coach took on the role in the middle of 2020 and led the side to its first finals campaign since 2016-17 later that year.
This season, however, Canberra finished seventh with two wins, seven draws and five losses across 14 fixtures.
Linton acknowledged the disappointment of this season's results but said there were many highlights during her time in Canberra, such as bringing Heyman and Ash Sykes back to United, launching a number of players' ALW careers and leading the first all-woman coaching staff in the ALW.
Despite national team coaching experience and two ALW gigs - in United and Melbourne Victory - Linton's next move remains under close wraps. While she did not reveal her future plans, said it would likely be within Australia.
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
