The Western Sydney Wanderers are delighted to announce the return of former Wanderer Dean Heffernan as the Wanderers Academy U20s head coach and assistant of the Foxtel Y-League team.
Heffernan returns to the club after a successful stint as Central Coast United’s inaugural Technical Director where he oversaw the full Central Coast United program from U9s to State League.
The defender-turned-coach currently holds an FFA A-Licence and has also been working closely with the club over the last two years as one of the PFA’s Player Development Managers.
Western Sydney Wanderers CEO John Tsatsimas believes Heffernan is an exceptional addition to the Wanderers Academy.
“Dean has been an outstanding contributor to the Wanderers on and off the pitch for a while now,” said Tsatsimas.
“From his playing days with us to the professional development/welfare role he has with our players he has shown leadership and class and fits in strongly with our culture and values.
“We welcome Dean to this new role with our Academy.”
Heffernan said he couldn’t turn down an offer to coach at the Wanderers elite Academy set-up and is looking forward to being back at a club he feels passionate about.
“It’s a massive opportunity to be the Wanderers Assistant Coach of the Foxtel Y-League team and coach of the U20s. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up on, coming back to the club to learn from people like Arthur Diles and Ian Crook to progress further as a coach,” said Heffernan.
“My time here in 2014 was very memorable. We had a great bunch of players in the squad and it was a time where it was all relatively new and fresh.
“Obviously we had the Champions League campaign as well so we had a big squad, but it was a tight group.
“I still talk to a lot of those players and I have many fond memories of being a player at the club and now to come back in a coaching capacity is a massive opportunity. One that I’m really excited about and can’t wait to get started.”
