Brighton Women have appointed former Australia international Dario Vidosic as their new head coach.
The 37-year-old has signed a three-year deal to keep him at the club until 2027.
Vidosic had been in charge of Melbourne City Women since 2022 and takes over from interim head coach Mickey Harris.
Former Everton assistant manager Chris Roberts has been appointed assistant head coach.
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Brighton have been without a permanent head coach since they parted company with Melissa Phillips in February. Academy coach Harris was subsequently placed in interim charge and led the club to a ninth place finish in the Women’s Super League. Brighton have confirmed Harris has returned to the academy as academy coaching and pathway manager.
Zoe Johnson, managing director of women’s and girls’ football, said, “From the start of the process to appoint our new head coach, Dario was someone who caught our eye as a young coach with a progressive outlook.
“He has a playing style and philosophy that aligns with how we want Brighton & Hove Albion teams to play. We are really excited to start working with Dario to prepare for the upcoming WSL season.”
Vidosic, capped 23 times by Australia, retired from playing in 2022 and took the Melbourne City job during the 2022-23 season. He guided the club to the A League title last season, before they were beaten by Sydney in the Grand Final.
His playing career was split between the A League and spells abroad, including four years at Nurnberg in Germany, two years with Swiss side Sion and six months in China with Liaoning Whowin.
Vidosic becomes Brighton’s fourth permanent head coach in less than two years and the sixth person to take charge of the team in that time.
Following Hope Powell’s departure in October 2022, Amy Merricks was placed in temporary charge. Jens Scheuer was appointment in December before being dismissed in March 2023 and subsequently replaced by Phillips. She departed after 10 months in the role and Harris was appointed on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
In 2022, Brighton outlined their plans to break into the WSL’s top four, having spent £8.5million training facility for the women’s team. The club also have plans for a stadium built specifically for the women’s team. Their best performance in the WSL remains their sixth place finish in 2020-21.
Brighton have already completed the signing of England international Fran Kirby ahead of the new season, and have also brought in defender Marisa Olislagers, forward Kiko Seike and defender Marit Auee this summer.
(Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)