Mooney gets women's manager role

Mooney hopes to bring through the first ever female coach of an island side

The Guernsey Football Association has appointed the island's football development officer Paul Mooney as the new coach of their women's side.

Mooney succeeds Ian Champion, who stood down for personal reasons after guiding Guernsey to their first win over Jersey for seven years in last May's Muratti.

Mooney's will take charge for the South and West Counties Championship campaign starting at Gloucestershire on 1 March.

He will also guide them into the Muratti and the 2009 Island Games.

Former Guernsey women's goalkeeper Sam Carre, who served with Champion as the goalkeeper coach to the women's squad, will act as his assistant.

"While Paul didn't come to the GFA to coach senior teams, we are confident that this is a good decision and will be to everyone's benefit," said GFA chairman Mark Le Tissier.

I think it's right that a local person should do it. I am helping out and I am flexible at the end of this arrangement, but ideally I would like to see a woman running the island women's team

Paul Mooney

Mooney joined the GFA as development officer in September last year, having been a youth coach at Portsmouth.

"This is a pragmatic move on our part. Paul has already done some work with the women's squad and seen quite a few games of their regular season," Le Tissier added.

"He was travelling to the Island Games and some of the SWCC games anyway, and he needs to do some senior 11-a-side coaching to continue his personal coaching qualifications pathway."

And Mooney hopes that his appointment will only be short term, until a suitable local woman can take over.

"I think it's right that a local person should do it. I am helping out and I am flexible at the end of this arrangement, but ideally I would like to see a woman running the island women's team," he said.