Melbourne Victory has appointed Grant Brebner as its interim Head Coach for the remainder of the 2019/20 Hyundai A-League season.
Brebner, a dual Championship-winning player with Victory, was operating as the club’s Assistant Coach but will now oversee the management of the A-League team, following Carlos Salvachua’s decision to return home to Europe.
Westfield W-League and Academy Head Coach, Jeff Hopkins, will join the men’s program as interim Assistant Coach for the remainder of the season.
The A-League squad will return to training next week in preparation for the planned resumption of the 2019/20 season commencing in mid-July.
Victory CEO, Trent Jacobs, said the A-League squad was looking forward to getting back on the park.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the Club with numerous, unexpected hurdles, but our people continue to respond to the challenge,” Jacobs said.
“Grant Brebner and Jeff Hopkins are excited about the opportunity to oversee the A-League program for the remainder of the 2019/20 season.
“Grant and Jeff know our players well, and we want the transition to be as seamless as possible. Their priority will be to get the team to the fitness level required to perform, once the season resumes in mid-July.
“With respect to the search for our next A-League Head Coach, the recruitment process is progressing and remains on track. We will provide a further update in due course.
“It is not our intention for the successful candidate to be involved in the conclusion of the 2019/20 season, therefore they will be officially taking over in preparation for the commencement of the 2020/21 pre-season.”
Brebner said he was looking forward to getting the team ready for the resumption of the season.
“It’s obviously been a challenging few months, so it’s great to get back to work and start preparing to play football again,” Brebner said.
“This season hasn’t unfolded as planned, but over the coming months the focus for the team will be to enjoy what we do and play tough attacking football, which is what our members and fans expect.
“This was the philosophy drummed into me as a Victory player, and I really want our players to play with freedom and embrace the brand of football our Club has been known for over the past 15 years.
“We have a great opportunity over the coming months to build some strong foundations which the next Head Coach can then build on next season.”
A media opportunity with Brebner will be made available when the team returns to training next week. More details will be communicated over the coming days.
