MELBOURNEfc will announce its new coach for 2008 and beyond next week.
The MELBOURNEfc Board will meet tonight to review the selection process and the recommendations of the selection panel.
The panel was comprised of Chairman Paul Gardner, CEO Steve Harris, Club director Stephen Bickford, sports psychologist Anthony Klarica, former players Garry Lyon and Nathan Burke, and former coach and player Peter Schwab.
The group reviewed all the material regarding the five short-listed candidates on Wednesday, and gave their individual assessments.
The Chairman and CEO then prepared a report for the full Board on the outcome of those assessments, with a recommendation on the preferred appointment.
The Board is expected to ratify the outcome of the process tonight, and will authorise the CEO to finalise negotiations with the preferred candidate, with a view to this being concluded and announced next week.
Chairman Paul Gardner said, "We committed ourselves to not making such a major appointment by instinct, but through solid assessment and with integrity and transparency. We will be finalising arrangements with the preferred candidate at the earliest opportunity, advise the other candidates, and then announce the outcome.
"We appreciate the intense supporter and media interest in the outcome, but we do not believe another few days to finalise arrangements and contracts will be to anyone's detriment.
"What we can say is that we have been delighted to have such a strong field of candidates on our short-list, which is a testament to the quality of our process, and the confidence candidates have in the future prospects of MELBOURNEfc. All the candidates were impressive and in a position to advance the Club in some way, but there can only be one senior coach, and that will be known very soon."
