Njegosh Popovich, former assistant at Canberra United between 2015-17, will lead the team for season 15, and the coach has big plans for the club.

"I am thrilled to have been appointed as head coach for Canberra United and am very excited about getting started at the club," Popovich said.

"My aim is to put Canberra United back on the map.

"The club has a strong and proud history, and we should be challenging for league titles and playing in grand finals.

"My goal is to achieve that, and I am confident that we can regain our position as one of the most prominent clubs in the competition."

In March former coach Vicki Linton departed Canberra United after two seasons, citing a desire to be closer to family in Sydney.

Linton had a promising start in her first season, leading Canberra United to the finals before a disappointing second term last year, with the team posting just two wins.

A Canberra product himself, as an assistant Popovich helped the side to the grand final in 2015-16, before winning the title in 2016-17.

Popovich's last post was as an assistant coach with the Junior Matildas for five years, with the pinnacle of his time in the role being a fourth-place finish at the AFC Women's Championship in 2019 in Thailand.

"We considered a number of potential candidates for the role of head coach and Njegosh's profile ticked all the right boxes for us as an organisation," Canberra United CEO Chris Gardiner commented.

"Njegosh brings a highly valued CV, an understanding of women's football and is across the local football scene.

"He is Canberra-born, has experience through Canberra United and is a very capable Canberra local to lead the club forward.

"I've never received such strong references in a selection process, and in this instance, both as a coach and as a person, I am very confident he is the right coach for the club, the key players we have and want, and the ALW in 2022-23.

"We are looking forward to welcoming Njegosh back to Canberra United."

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Popovich's coaching resume also included stints as technical director and head coach for the Monaro Panthers and assistant coach at Canberra Olympic in the National Premier League, as well as head coach for Canberra United Academy's under-15 and under-18 representative teams.

During his playing years, Popovich represented the ACT from juniors to seniors, and won multiple championships with Canberra Olympic. He also played for the Canberra Cosmos in the National Soccer League.

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