Speaking ahead of this Saturday night’s Elimination Final, Alen Stajcic spoke about what the Western Sydney Wanderers can be for their community and for Australian football.
There is momentum surging through Western Sydney, and with it a confidence as the high-flying Wanderers dream big.
“It’s just the beginning for us,” head coach Alen Stajcic told reporters ahead of Western Sydney’s blockbuster Elimination Final against rivals Melbourne Victory at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night.
With Stajcic at the helm, the Wanderers are a club rejuvenated.
The former CommBank Matildas boss has galvanised a supporter base and a region amid their best run of form in 12 years. The high-flyers are one result away from matching a club record undefeated streak set back in 2012-13.
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The Wanderers sensationally conquered Asia in 2014, winning the AFC Champions League. But this season is only the second time in eight years they have qualified for the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals series, having reached three Grand Finals across their first four years of existence in the competition.
But with belief growing and a big crowd expected for their Elimination Final, Western Sydney local Stajcic has big ambitions for the Wanderers – one that goes beyond football and over into other Australian sporting codes.
He wants the Wanderers to be the most dominant sporting team in the western suburbs of Sydney.
“I think we can be and should be bigger than all of them,” Stajcic told reporters.
“They (NRL teams) represent one small town: Penrith Panthers represent Penrith and Parramatta [Eels] represent Parramatta, and we represent everyone, the whole western front, going from Campbelltown through to Liverpool and Blacktown and Penrith and Holroyd and Auburn. You’re talking a couple of million people.
“The demographics of our area is young families, migrant families, first generation Aussies, second generation Aussies – who we know have all come from football backgrounds.
“That’s why we could and should be the best club in the country. That’s what we’re aspiring to be.”
Stajcic and the Wanderers are laying foundations for 2024/25 and beyond.
By doing that, the ex-Perth Glory head coach believes it delivers “longevity of success” as he referenced Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United.
“I look at Melbourne Storm in rugby league – they’ve been at the top for 20 odd years with Craig Bellamy,” Stajcic said. “I look at the Penrith Panthers in the rugby league.
“You look at what Manchester United did under Alex Ferguson. I’m not comparing us to them for one second. I’m just saying the platforms they built within their teams and within their cultures are built for long-term success.
“This is the club that should have that for me. We’re the club best suited to have all those things in place, from our junior Academy to fee free for the kids, to the nursery of talent around this whole geography to the fan base, to young aspiring families who live in the western suburbs, to the migrant population.
“I’ve said it for a long time, we have the best chance of being the most successful club in the country, and it’s up to us to put all that together.”
