Eleven months after guiding the side to their inaugural IPL premiership, McGoldrick has stepped down from the role following an inconsistent 2021 campaign which saw Woonona finish seventh.

However, McGoldrick will remain at the club in a technical director and mentoring role, with Connelly stepping up from assistant coach into the head coach role.

"Ian was instrumental in the success that we achieved the season before, he's an excellent coach and excellent communicator. We worked well together," McGoldrick said. "I want people to know that I'm still going to be there and have an involvement. And part of that involvement will be to keep giving young players opportunities if they make the mark, which has been the philosophy that Ian and I've instilled in the last three to four years."

Read more: Socceroos nudging closer towards World Cup dream, says Timpano

The decision continues a hectic few weeks off the field, with coaches Oli Vrtkovski, George Antoniou and Peter Willis all parting ways with their respective IPL clubs.

Billy Tsovolos will replace Vrtkovski at Wollongong United, while Olympic and Tarrawanna are yet to announce their new mentors.

We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.

https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/subscribe/