Adrian Stenta says it is a tremendous honour after being appointed the new Head Coach of Adelaide United Women.
Stenta had spent the past two Westfield W-League seasons as an assistant to Ivan Karlović, who will now become Head of Women’s Football at the Club – a newly created role aimed at further developing the women’s game here in South Australia.
“It feels great, I’m really excited because I’ve got a fantastic group to work with,” he told AUFC Media.
“And I’m just really proud and privileged to be in this role, so looking forward to it.”
Stenta believed the fact that he already knows the players and that Karlović will still be involved at the Club means the transition will be easier.
“I think it does, certainly to have him still involved as well is a big plus for the Club and for myself personally as well,” he said about Karlović, who had been at the helm of AUFC Women for the previous three years.
“So I feel like we’ve worked really well together over the last couple of years and I’ve learnt a lot from him, and I’m keen to take what I’ve learnt from him, add my own flavour to it, and see if we can continue progressing and moving forward.
“But to have him involved still in his newly created role, I see that as a big positive for me.”
Stenta admitted while every coach has their own unique methods, he will not be looking to implement drastic changes.
Instead, the aim will be to build on the strong foundations laid by his predecessor.
“I’m not necessarily looking to change too much,” he stated.
“But every coach has their own sort of philosophy and way of going about things.
“I just want my sides to be really, really hard working and to be as proactive as they possibly can be.
“So they’re two of the elements I’ll look to instil in the side moving forward, and I think that will hold us in good stead.
“… I’d love my team to have as much as the ball as possible, but the main thing is being hard to score against and being as clinical as possible in the final third.”
Stenta also said Karlović’s new position will enable him to concentrate solely on the coaching and tactical aspects, further professionalising the women’s program.
“Having worked closely with Ivan over the last couple of years, I’ve just seen the incredible amount of work that he’s put into his role,” he said.
“Sometimes people don’t see what goes on behind the scenes, so to have the role split a little bit more and allow me just to focus more on field and with the coaching and tactical side of things; I think will benefit the Club, will benefit the players and it will be a great benefit for me.
“And it’s great to have someone like Ivan who just has so much intel in the women’s game and a lot of contacts handling the off-field stuff for me.”
