RANGERS are delighted to confirm Kevin Murphy will join the club in an exciting new dual role in the Women’s and Girls Department as new First-Team Assistant Coach and Girls Academy Manager.
Kevin joins from Hearts after a successful spell at Manchester City and is regarded as one of the top practitioners in the women’s game in the country.
Kevin worked as Girls Academy and Women’s Manager at Tynecastle, having overseen all football operations within the Women’s Academy Department at Manchester City.
A UEFA Pro License holder and SFA Children’s Licensed Coach, Kevin joins the Light Blues with a wealth of experience in the girls and women’s game.
He rejoins Rangers, having been Head Coach of Rangers Women and Head of Rangers Girls Academy a number of years ago prior to the creation of Rangers’ new ambitious plan for Women’s football.
Furthermore, his extensive CV extends to being Assistant Coach for the Scotland National Team at U17 and U19 level.
In addition to assisting Head Coach, Malky Thomson, with the first team, Kevin will drive our Girls’ Academy in what is a massively exciting time for women’s football at the club.
Rangers announced last year that it was removing all fees for players in the Girls Academy - a massive step for Women’s football in Scotland, and with the rising standards in the first-team squad it is important that we focus on the Academy to ensure we can produce players capable of playing in a first-team now full of international players.
Kevin Murphy commented on the announcement: “I am delighted to rejoin Rangers and look forward to getting started. I was really impressed by the one-club vision outlined by Craig Mulholland, Amy McDonald and Malky Thomson which aims to make Rangers the leading Women’s club in Scotland.
"I was excited by the aspirational vision and the relentless way that Rangers are going about achieving excellence in the Women’s game, a first in Scotland and something I simply couldn’t turn down.
“The chance to work with the top international players now in Rangers’ first-team in a full-time professional environment, and also the challenge of producing players who can force their way into a team at the level it has now become, is fantastic. I can’t wait to get started.”
Amy McDonald, Women’s and Girls Football Manager, commented: “It is fantastic that we have managed to attract Kevin from a role he loved leading the Women’s programme at Hearts to return to Rangers.
“We would like to thank Hearts for their understanding and the professional way Kevin’s switch has been handled.
"Kevin has accrued great experience, particularly in his time leading Man City’s Academy and understands, having spent a number of years in that environment, what excellent should look like in the women’s game, and we are delighted he will now bring this experience and knowledge to the high performance environment we are creating at Rangers.”
Head Coach Malky Thomson added: “I’m really looking forward to working with Kevin. We firmly believe that his skill set will compliment mine and we can become a strong management team who can combine to bring the success that this exciting new project deserves.
“My career has been spent for the last couple of decades at the top end of the men’s game and it was important that we added someone who is so well respected in the women’s game and who has an excellent knowledge of players on both sides of the border.
“It adds another UEFA Pro Licence holder to our excellent staff in the football department and I know the girls, who are so excited to be part of the first ever full-time professional women’s team in Scotland, will love working with Kevin.”