With the 2024/25 season about to start, Perth Glory fans are eager to move past a challenging 2023/24 season, where the team struggled, finishing 10th and going winless in 12 straight matches. Head Coach Alex Epakis parted ways with the club in the offseason, followed by the departure of 17 players, including captain Tash Rigby, Golden Boot winner Millie Farrow, Player of the Year Hana Lowry, and top goalkeeper Morgan Aquino.
The club has since undertaken a full-scale rebuild, led by Sydney native Stephen Peters, who was appointed head coach in July 2024. Peters joins Glory after an impressive run with Macarthur Rams in NPL NSW, where he secured three consecutive Championships. Last week, Beyond 90 sat down with Peters to discuss his coaching journey and his vision for the upcoming season.
Peters’ career as a player was cut short due to a knee injury in his youth, but he found his way into coaching during rehab. Starting with youth teams in 2010, he quickly ascended the ranks, eventually guiding the 2018 NSW U15 team to the FFA National Youth U15 title. His time with the Macarthur Rams saw sustained success, with Peters crediting his approach of blending experienced players with fresh talent to keep the team’s winning culture alive.
For Peters, this is his first exposure to A-League Women as a coach, however he feels capable of making the move into the professional structure because of his experience in NPL NSW.
“I think the the advantage I do have is that a lot of the A-League players, in NSW anyway, go back into the NPLW so we have been exposed to that to some degree, and I’m very confident that we can close the gap and understand the level, so to speak,” he said.
Given the late timing of his appointment, Peters inherited several contracted players but embraced the challenge, describing it as an opportunity to unify a diverse squad. Two warm-up games against WA’s NPLW Select squad have provided a promising start, and Peters was particularly impressed with the team’s competitive spirit.
With an average squad age of just 21.5 years and only a handful of players who have scored in the A-League, Peters plans to focus on solid defence and a possession-oriented game, adjusting as needed against more experienced opponents. He expressed confidence in new signings Kelli Brown and Gabby Hollar to provide the firepower for his side, with both players showing strong form in training.
“From everything I’ve seen so far in training, Kelli Brown and Gabby Hollar are both very confident in front of goal and it’s then about making sure that other players around them are chipping in with goals and assists as well,” he said.
Peters sees the team’s relative inexperience as an advantage, citing their unpredictability as a potential strength against more established teams. Key to this new direction is the signing of goalkeeper Casey Dumont, whose leadership Peters believes will make a notable impact on the team’s dynamic.
“The signing of Casey Dumont is a crucial one for us, for the team dynamic, and I don’t think people quite understand what we’ve acquired. We’ve got a leader and someone with a real edge about her. Casey is a huge signing for us and when she arrives, everyone will see that,” he said.
Acknowledging that finals football may be an ambitious target, Peters is focused on steady progress and building a competitive spirit. Despite last season’s struggles, he views the challenges ahead as an opportunity to foster growth and resilience. He is optimistic that the assembled squad will give their all for the shirt.
“I think we’ve just got to have the opportunity to build and get people on board so that people can see the progress in what we’re trying to do, but what’s very important though, is at the same time, you’ve got to be in a position where you’re fighting for points.
“Since I was appointed, Stan Lazaridis (Perth Glory Football Director) and I have had this mantra, we just want players who want to play for the shirt, and the feasibility of that player playing for us was based on how energetic they were about playing for Perth.”
As Perth Glory prepares for their season opener against Melbourne City on November 3, Peters aims to bring renewed energy and optimism to the squad, hoping to build a team that both the club and fans can rally behind.
