Official: Halifax Wanderers Hire Vanni Sartini

It is just as the rumour mill had posited: Vanni Sartini is the new Halifax Wanderers head coach and general manager.

The Canadian Premier League side confirmed its hiring of the former Vancouver Whitecaps head coach today.

The 49-year-old Italian assumes the role having helped the Whitecaps to three consecutive Canadian Championship wins while helping set develop a Vancouver Whitecaps side that, one year out from his tenure, just reached the MLS Cup Final for the first time in club history. They reached playoffs in all three of his years at the helm.

It’s a high-profile addition for the Wanderers, and will mark the first time a head coach has gone directly from coaching a Major League Soccer side to a club in the Canadian Premier League.

“My ambition was to bring in a proven winner who understood the professional game both in Canada and globally, so he could take our club to a championship level.” says Halifax Wanderers Founder and President Derek Martin, who had set out with the clear goal of finding someone who could come up big in key moments.

“Vanni’s diverse international coaching background, winning record at the MLS level, along with his incredible passion both on and off the field, meant we had significant competition for his services, but his decision to join the Wanderers and the CPL is a testament to what we have built both at our club and at our league.”

While Sartini’s most high-profile role was with the Whitecaps, his coaching career began in his native Italy with Mezzana and Luco di Mugello before he served as an assistant coach to Davide Nicola at Livorno and Bari.

The Wanderers’ head coach post was vacant ever since Patrice Gheisar was let go after the club’s first-round playoff exit on October 24, ending his spell with the side after three seasons, two of which saw the side reach playoffs.

The AFTN Podcast first touched on the possibility of Sartini going to Halifax in October, revealing that while Vanni believed he should be coaching at a higher level than the CPL, he would reportedly need to find a coaching role before the new year if he was to stay in Canada.

As the chips fell into place to produce his transition from west to east cost, Sartini is entering the moment in time with ambition and positivity:

“I’m excited to be joining the Wanderers and being a part of this ambitious project to build on the last few years and win a championship,” says Sartini. “The beauty of this job is how passionate the fans are for the team, and we will give 150% to bring joy and excitement 

Header Image Photo Credit: John Jacques