After 12 years in the women's game, Alen Stajcic finally got his chance at the top job when he was appointed the head coach of the Matildas in September 2014.

A staple in women's football and the W-League, Stajcic beat out applicants from across the globe in a long and exhaustive process to replace Hesterine de Reus (more on that situation soon).

Stajcic, already had a taste of the head coach position after operating as interim head coach in late April and May 2014 for the Matildas’ Asian Cup campaign.

As mentioned earlier, the 40 year old has a tough task in navigating the Matildas through a tricky Group D at the 2015 Women's World Cup.

Stajcic and his assistants get their first look at possible squad members in January before a busy six months prior to the big show in Canada.