Javi Lerga named new Athletic Club Women head coach

Javi Lerga has agreed to become Athletic Club Women's new head coach, signing a one-year deal through to 30 June 2026.

With proven experience coaching youth teams at the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Lerga arrives at Lezama following the recent success at the European Under-19 Championships, where with young Lionesses Daniela Agote, Elene Gurtubay and Ziara Vega in the squad, he led the Spanish national team to tournament victory.

He was also part of the senior team's coaching staff when they won the 2023 World Cup in Sydney.

The coach leaves the RFEF, where he has worked for the last four years and held the position of Under-19s and Under-20s head coach. Among other roles, he has also been the assistant coach for the senior team and a youth team co-ordinator, meaning he has already worked with many of the players he will now coach at Lezama.

The new Athletic coach said the opportunity at Athletic represents "a big step in my career and I am very grateful".

"This club is firmly committed to women's football and has been doing well for many years. I will try to take advantage of that legacy and the work done by Iraia [Iturregi] and David [Aznar]."

Furthermore, Lerga feels a strong connection with Athletic's philosophy and believes that this move has come at the right time in his career.

He continued: "I wanted to get back to experiencing day-to-day life at a club. I really believe in the people here and that the philosophy is what sets this club apart."

Javi has a degree in Sports Science from the University of the Basque Country and worked as a secondary school teacher for 11 years. Apart from that he was a director of education and the coaching school at the Navarre Football Federation.

Lerga began his career as a coach in men's football. He spent no less than eight years at Peña Sport, from June 2002, managing the senior team in both the Second Division and Third Division after working with the club's youth teams in Tafalla.

From there, he moved to Osasuna's academy, Tajonar, where he managed the reserve team for one season, the Under-19s for two seasons, and spent another three seasons at the academy.

Javi will be joined at Athletic by an assistant coach, Rubén Berrogui, who has experience in women's football with both SD Lagunak de Barañain and FCN Mulier. Ruben has also coached men's youth teams at Tajonar in addition to forming part of Jagoba Arrasate's first-team staff as an analyst. His most recent job saw him work under Albert Riera at Slovenian club NK Celje.