Words: Bree Reidy
Image: Ray Gardner/Redlands United FC

Redlands United have announced former Central Coast Mariners Academy mentor John Blanco as the club’s PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland Women’s coach.

Blanco’s appointment comes as the Red Devils look to strengthen the elite pathway for female footballers in the bayside area and surrounding districts, with Blanco tasked with rebuilding the club’s female football program.

The Uruguayan has spent the majority of his 10-year coaching career developing female players for the Mariners and several Sydney outfits, before moving to Brisbane in the past year.

Blanco said he is looking forward to building a strong squad for the club’s inaugural Women’s campaign in the national second tier.

“I’m really excited to be given this opportunity and jumped at the chance to strengthen women’s football at Redlands given my background coaching female footballers with the Mariners academy,” said Blanco.

“I walk along the hallways here and see all the team photos of our successful girl’s teams that have left the club and we need to fix that.”

“We need to build a legacy and a culture within our female football program that will make players want to come here and be a part of something special,” explained Blanco.

Blanco's resume boasts working with the with Mariners U14 and U16 sides before taking up the assistant coach role for both the reserve and first grade teams under the tutelage of former Matilda Shelley Youman.

He conceded it will take time to build a squad to challenge for the title every year but is looking forward to building a culture to rival that of the men’s program. 

“Some of the big clubs in Sydney have that football culture but then their women’s teams play on the training fields and not the main pitch like the boys.”

“Here they will be treated just like the boys, play on the same field and build that legacy,” he concluded.

Blanco’s first task in charge will be to oversee the player trials for the Women’s squad alongside Technical Director Matt Chandler.