Kelly Cousins
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Kelly Chambers | ||
| Date of birth | 11 January 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Reading, Berkshire,England[1] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Utah Royals (sporting director) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Reading | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2012 | Reading | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015–2023 | Reading | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kelly Cousins(néeChambers;born 11 January 1986) is an Englishwomen's footballmanagerand former player who serves assporting directorfor American clubUtah Royals FCof theNational Women's Soccer League(NWSL). She previously managed English clubReadingof theWomen's Super League(WSL) and was also itsdirector of football.
Playing career
[edit]Cousins captainedReadingin thelower leagues.However, her playing career ended after ananterior cruciate ligamentinjury in 2012.[citation needed]
Managerial career
[edit]During her playing career, Reading appointed Cousins as its director of women's and girls football, and she remained in this role until her departure in 2023.[2]
Originally, Cousins became manager of Reading whilst in the third tier of English football, succeedingPhil Cousins.After gaining promotion to the WSL 2, now known as theWomen's Championship,in 2014, the club appointedJayne Ludlowas manager.[3]
Ludlow guided Reading to a third-place finish in the 2014 WSL 2 season[2]but stepped down at the end of the season to manage theWales women's national team.[4][3]Cousins served as manager from that point[2]until her departure in 2023.[5]
Cousins won the 2015 WSL 2 division, earning Reading a promotion to the top flight.[6]Cousins' Reading finished the season, level on points withDoncaster Rovers Belleswho also got promoted, but with a goal difference of +46 - four higher than Doncaster who had +42. What made the title victory so impressive, was that it was with a group of players who also had part-time jobs.[3]
Her first season in theWSL,Cousins managed to avoid relegation. Despite only winning one game all season, Reading managed to finish above Doncaster who were relegated.
The2017–18 WSLseason was Reading's highest finish in club history. Cousins secured a fourth-place finish, with a total of 32 points in 18 games.
Cousins failed to recreate the success of that season. Her following two seasons in2018–19and2019–20both resulted in a fifth-place finish.
In December 2018, Cousins won the November 2018 League Managers Association (LMA) Manager of the Month Award.[7]Victories againstBristol City,Brighton and Hove AlbionandEverton,saw Cousins' side take maximum points in November and jump two places in the table.[7]
On 20 June 2023, following the club's relegation out of theWomen's Super League,Reading announced that Cousins would leave the club.[8]American clubUtah Royalsannounced that it had hired her to be the club's firstsporting directornearly a month later on 18 July.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Cousins has a daughter, and as of 20 June 2023[update]was pregnant with a second child. Her children's father is Phil Cousins, who was Kelly Cousins's predecessor as Reading manager and became the team's head coach during her own tenure as manager. Phil Cousins also resigned from Reading on 26 June 2023.[10]She also attended Whiteknights primary school in Shinfield.[11]
Managerial statistics
[edit]- As of matches played 27 May 2023[12]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Reading | 2015 | 20 June 2023 | 195 | 65 | 41 | 89 | 33.33 |
| Total | 195 | 65 | 41 | 89 | 33.33 | ||
References
[edit]- ^Sanders, Emma (2 March 2023)."Kelly Chambers: 'Reading is like a family', says long-serving manager".BBC Sport.Retrieved19 July2023.
- ^abcLeighton, Tony (22 October 2015)."Big Interview: Reading Women manager Kelly Chambers".The Football League Paper.Retrieved19 July2023.
- ^abc"The hardest working woman in football?".BBC Sport.Retrieved25 March2021.
- ^"FAW / National Women's Teams Manager - Jayne Ludow".www.faw.cymru.Retrieved25 March2021.
- ^"Reading Stalwart Kelly Chambers Will Be A Tough Act To Follow".The Tilehurst End.25 June 2023.Retrieved19 July2023.
- ^"League Tables".womenscompetitions.thefa.com.Retrieved25 March2021.
- ^ab"League Managers Association - LMA MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARDS - NOVEMBER 2018".leaguemanagers.com.Retrieved25 March2021.
- ^"Chambers leaves relegated Reading after 16 years".BBC Sport.Retrieved20 June2023.
- ^"Utah Royals name Kelly Cousins, former Reading Women's manager, as first sporting director".The Athletic.18 July 2023.Retrieved19 July2023.
- ^Ticehurst, Abi (26 June 2023)."Reading FC Women part company with Phil Cousins".Football in Berkshire.Retrieved19 July2023.
There's been no hint of where he'll be headed next, but he runs a successful coaching business for pro footballers currently and he's set to welcome his second child with Kelly Chambers soon.
- ^Whyatt, Katie."Kelly Chambers - life as a mum and a manager".The Athletic.Retrieved25 March2021.
- ^"Kelly Chambers Manager Stats".footystats.org.footystats.Retrieved27 December2021.