From one Australian to another.
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team has found a new coach in Australian Mark Torcaso, who replaces fellow Aussie Alen Stajcic.
The Philippine Football Federation said Torcaso will be one of three new coaches handling the national’s women’s program.
The 42-year-old Torcaso is the reigning A-League Women Coach of the Year and has led the Melbourne-based club Western United to the grand finals in its inaugural Australian league season early this year.
“Watching the development of the team over the last couple of years has been amazing, from the AFF Championship to the World Cup, and I feel honored to be able to try to continue this growth,” said Torcaso, who also worked with India’s women’s national team in one of their camps last year.
Torcaso’s appointment came three weeks after coach Stajcic stepped down following the end of the Filipinas’ campaign in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.
Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, PFF general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes and Filipinas’ team manager Jefferson Cheng met with Torcaso in Sydney, Australia over the weekend to formalize the appointment.
Australian Sinisha Cohadzic will be Torcaso’s assistant with the Filipinas.
Cohadzic will also become the head coach of the Girls’ Under-17 and Women’s Under-20 national teams.
Former New Zealand international player Andrew Durante, who was also a part of Torcaso’s coaching staff at Western United, was also named an assistant coach in the PWNT program.
“We welcome coach Mark (Torcaso) and his staff to the PFF family,” said Araneta, adding the PFF is confident that the new coaches will “continue raising the standards of the Philippine Women’s National Team on all aspects and take the team to greater heights at the back of a historic and memorable 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.”
Torcaso will start handling the Filipinas in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September and the AFC Olympic Qualifiers in Perth, Australia in October.
Cohadzic will take care of the Girls’ Under-17 in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifying Tournament in Vietnam next month.
“It is important that we continue the momentum from the Filipinas’ historic FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign in New Zealand,” said Gastanes.