Milicic, who has been head coach of the Matildas since replacing Alen Stajcic in January 2019, had always planned on stepping down after what was the originally scheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.  

Following the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, his original contract was extended by a year.

However, as he had signed an agreement to begin as head coach of the new A-league club Macarthur FC in May 2019, Milicic had stipulated that this extension would need to respect his previously signed commitment.

Popular with both staff and players, the FFA's Chief Executive officer James Johson stated on their website: 

“We would have loved Ante to remain in the role for Tokyo 2020 and beyond, however FFA and Ante agree that overseeing two elite teams is not a workable solution, with both programs deserving of, and requiring, complete focus. 

“We acknowledge the increased professionalism that Ante brought to the Westfield Matildas over the past 18 months and wish him well in his time at Macarthur FC. Ante has been a long-serving employee of FFA, working with the Socceroos, multiple youth teams, and the Westfield Matildas, and he departs the organisation with our thanks for his many contributions to the game."
 
The FFA is in the process of recruiting a new Head Coach for the national team, as well as replacing the positions of assistant coach and technical analyst, both of whom are now vacated with Ivan Jolic and Kate Cohan following Milicic to Macarthur FC.
 
About the recruiting process Johnson stipulated: 
 
“We expect there will be no shortage of interest in this prestigious role, particularly given all that the team has on the horizon. This will be a crucial appointment and we therefore must focus on putting in place a robust and objective process to ensure the best-credentialed candidate is appointed to help the Matildas maximise their potential ahead of, and at, the 2021 Olympics, 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.”
 

The Westfield Matildas are currently ranked seventh in the world.  Their next major competition is the reschedule Tokyo Olympics next July-August 2021.