Amy McDonald (Scottish footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 October 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Rutherglen, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender / Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| East Kilbride | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2005 | Hamilton Athletic | ||
| 2005–2007 | Kilmarnock | ||
| 2007–2008 | Queen's Park | ||
| 2008–2009 | Kilmarnock | ||
| 2009–2011 | Celtic | 6+ | (0+) |
| 2011–2012 | Glasgow City | 10 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2002–2003 | Scotland U19 | ||
| 2004–2009 | Scotland | 30 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2017 | Glasgow City (youth) | ||
| 2017–2019 | Rangers | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Amy McDonald (born 17 October 1985) is a Scottish football coach and former player for the Scotland national team as well as Hamilton Athletic, Kilmarnock, Queen's Park, Celtic and Glasgow City in the Scottish Women's Premier League.
After working in youth development at Glasgow City, in May 2017 she became the head coach of Rangers Women, moving to a role as overall manager of the women's section of the club in 2019; she left this role in 2023.
Club
Coaching career
McDonald had gained qualifications and work experience in sports coaching[citation needed] and had shown enthusiasm and aptitude for coaching since joining Glasgow City, so when forced to retire from playing she was invited to take up a voluntary role with the club overseeing their youth system;[24] she was presented with an SFA Grassroots Award for her efforts as a volunteer.[25] In July 2014 this was made a full-time position, working under the club manager Laura Montgomery,[26][27] with McDonald also completing her UEFA A Licence during the period. In the 2015 season, each of the Glasgow City age-group teams under her charge reached the final of their respective Scottish Cup.[28] She also became involved with coaching the Scotland Under-15 squad.
On 3 May 2017 McDonald was appointed as the head coach of SWPL club Rangers W.F.C.,[29][30][31] following on from Kevin Murphy who had moved to Manchester City W.F.C. at the end of the 2016 season.[32] Her first game in charge was against one of her former clubs, Hamilton Accies, who had been coached by Murphy during McDonald's playing spell there. Rangers achieved a 4–0 victory.[33]
in July 2019, McDonald moved to a role as the overall manager of the women's section at Rangers after the club announced a programme of increased investment;[2] Grégory Vignal was appointed as head coach for the senior team.[34][35] She remained in this role throughout Malky Thomson's tenure as coach[36] (during which the club won the 2021–22 Scottish Women's Premier League to end Glasgow City's long run of titles,[2] and also claimed a first SWPL Cup later that year) but left the club soon after overseeing the appointment of new coach Jo Potter in July 2023.[37]
Personal life
In 2006, McDonald graduated from the University of the West of Scotland (via Glasgow College of Nautical Studies) with a BA degree in Sport studies. Prior to becoming a full-time football coach she also worked in the social care sector with the charity Quarriers and as a sports instructor with Glasgow Life (an agency of Glasgow City Council).[21]
She is a keen user of social media, and during her time at Glasgow City was quick to comment on issues in Scottish football which she perceived as misogynistic or homophobic.[38][39][40]
