Steve Corica named head coach for new Auckland A-League expansion club

posted in: A-League (Men), Coaching News, News |

Former Sydney FC coach and Australian international Steve Corica has been named head coach for Auckland’s new A-League expansion club.

This has been confirmed in an announcement by the yet-to-be-named club and the A-Leagues.

Corica will work alongside Terry McFlynn, the club’s Director of Football, on the recruitment of the men’s playing squad and style of football.

Main photo: Steve Corica … will become the inaugural men’s head coach for the new club.

Corica, has plenty of experience working with a start-up club, having been involved with Sydney FC from its inception. He went on to make 106 appearances for the Sky Blues and scored 23 goals, between 2005 and 2010.

An attacking midfielder, Corica became the first national youth player to represent Australia at all age levels (U-17 – U-23) and made 32 appearances for the Socceroos, scoring five goals, between 1993 and 2006.

Post-retirement, Corica remained at Sydney FC, trained for his AFC Pro License, and worked his way up through the ranks from youth team coach in 2010, to assistant coach under Graham Arnold from 2011 to 2018, and took over the head coach role in 2018 until 2023.

Corica has achieved success throughout his A-League career, both on the pitch and alongside it.

As a player, Corica won two A-League Championships (2006 & 2010) and one A-League Premiership (2010), and as a Head Coach, he won back-to-back A-League Championships (2019 & 2020), one A-League Premiership (2020), and one Australia Cup (2023).

AKL Football 24 owner Bill Foley said:

“Steve is a proven winner, both as a player, as a head coach, and he plays an attractive style of football. His philosophy is aligned with what we want to achieve at the club, to be successful and to entertain the fans.

“He is passionate about developing young players to succeed in the A-League and we are confident his appointment will attract some of the best talent from around New Zealand. The next step is to start our player recruitment in the January transfer window.”

Corica said:

“I am really excited about joining the new Auckland A-League club. It has all the ingredients needed to succeed, both on the pitch and in the community. We want to build a club that is known for its attacking and entertaining style of football and Aucklanders are proud to call their own.

“Bill Foley is passionate about creating pathways for young talented Kiwis to firstly succeed in the A-League and then go overseas with the other clubs in the group. It’s a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved.”