From injury to opportunity: South American becomes first female coach at local football club

Originally published by Extra Informativo

Written by Tayla Oates, a graduate of the Change Our Game Women in Sports Media Program.

For Dynamo Melbourne Football Club’s first female coach, it’s been a long journey. Now taking up the whistle for her first season, coach-in-training Adriana Urrunaga moved to Australia over a decade ago, from Lima’s capital Peru.

Joining her local football club to connect with like-minded and sporty women from her community, Adriana originally signed onto the squad in 2022.

“I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and that was life-changing,” she said.

Despite being heartbroken by her injury, Adriana didn’t want to say goodbye to the community she loves. She continued to show up to practice and helped with recruitment - also winning a ‘best supporter’ trophy as a heartfelt joke at the end of the season party.

“ This community not only gave me soccer, it gave me this physical strength and helped me so much in my mental health during that time,” Adriana said.

Club President Alejandro Ramirez says he saw potential in Adriana’s skill, knowledge and passion and sat down with her one day to discuss becoming a coach.

“In a way, Adriana is leading the way for others,” Alejandro said.

“It tells our community that you can become a female coach, that there is space for you, that you will be supported.

“This season will be about empowering her and helping her grow and reach her potential.

“Just because she got injured, her role in the community didn't just stop. She evolved.”

All the coaching staff at Dynamo Football Club have been players stepping up for the challenge and Alejandro says that supportive development is a key value at the club.

Last year, Adriana stepped in to assistant coach the Women's team and had in developmental meetings with Alejandro and Daniel Ramírez Baquero, the head women’s coach and vice-president of the club.

For the 2025 season, Adriana will coach the reserve women's squad with support from the Women's Premiership coach, Gabriel Collier.

“ This year I decided that I want to do it a little bit more and be a coach myself,” she said.

“I'm still learning and I'm a work in progress, but I feel like Dynamo is like the best option right now and such a good space for me.”

The Dynamo Melbourne FC Women took home the championships of their division in 2023 and will be joining Football Victoria for the 2025 season.

”If someone said to me back in South America, ‘Hey, you're going to be living in Australia and you're not going to be a soccer player, but you're going to be a coach’,” Adriana laughed.

“I would have not believed it.”