Glasgow City announce Eileen Gleeson as new head coach

Glasgow City have announced that Eileen Gleeson has been appointed as the club’s new head coach.

Gleeson will leave her role as assistant manager with Republic of Ireland this month as she looks to continue City’s success at the top of the domestic game.

The UEFA Pro License holder moved to international football while working on a PhD and previously had a highly successful club career.

A domestic treble was one of the highlights of her time at Peamount United, where she won three more trophies but also became the first coach to take an Irish side into the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Gleeson was also boss at UCD Waves, where the team came second in the league in 2014/15 and reached the cup final the previous season.

She said: “I am honoured to be taking the role of Glasgow City head coach. For many years I have admired the progressive, ambitious, and inclusive values promoted by Glasgow City and their ongoing commitment to providing opportunities and pathways for girls and women to participate at all levels of the game.

“Glasgow City are a trail blazing club who continue to push boundaries, and drive standards in Scottish Women’s Football and beyond as demonstrated by their unrivalled success both on and off the pitch. I am delighted to be part of such a club where winning ways are driven by a culture of high standards and a refusal to stand still.

“I want to add to Glasgow City’s success and will be very ambitious about this. While winning will always be important it is more important that we reflect the club’s values both on and off the pitch. I am very excited to get started in the role and to continue to build on the excellent work of all involved to date. “

Glasgow City chief executive Laura Montgomery revealed that she had her eye on Gleeson for some time and saw her as the only candidate to succeed Scott Booth after he left for Birmingham City earlier this year.

“I am delighted to be able to announce Eileen as our incoming new head coach,” Montgomery said. “I made no secret some months ago, that this was not a position we would be advertising.

“We have had a clear plan for some time regarding succession at our football club and were prepared to play the long game to ensure we got the candidate we were after. I first met Eileen over 5 years ago and have known since then that I would want her to be head coach of our football club one day.

“Her football knowledge, player management skills and attention to detail is in my opinion unrivalled, and you only have to look at the PhD she is about complete, based on decision making in elite football, to know that she is not only an intelligent woman, but one who’s own thirst for knowledge and to improve is impressive.

“Whilst we are soon to welcome Eileen to the club, I need to say a massive thank you to Grant Scott, who has been nothing short of fantastic for us. He is an excellent coach and incredibly well thought of at this club. Like Eileen, Grant was again my only choice to ask to be interim head coach for us, to help us through this transition period and one that I am so delighted he accepted. He remains an incredibly important part of this club and I would certainly like to think that this won’t be the last few weeks we work together.”