Gemma Davies
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 July 1991[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kingstanding, Birmingham, England[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | England U23 (coach) | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2018–2021 | Aston Villa | ||
| 2021–2022 | England U19 | ||
Gemma Davies (born 1 July 1991) is an English football manager who is the former manager of Aston Villa Women and as of 2023 coaches the England women's under-23 team.
Early life
[edit]Davies began coaching aged 15 for Erdington Ladies under-10 and under-12 youth teams, where her sister played. She later gained a Master of Arts in Sports Science from Loughborough University.[3]
Managerial career
[edit]Aston Villa Women
[edit]After working towards her UEFA A License and acting as assistant head coach for Birmingham City Women in the 2017–18 WSL 2 season, Davies was appointed head of Aston Villa Women in June 2018, while continuing in her role as Head of Women’s Football at the University of Birmingham.[4][5]
In the 2019–20 Women's Championship, after gaining two wins from the opening games, Davies was awarded the Manager of the Month award for August 2019. League Managers' Association chair Marieanne Spacey-Cale commented this was due to "the work Gemma and her team has done over the summer, bringing in new signings and technical work on the training pitch...".[6] After the season was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[7] Davies led Aston Villa in an unbeaten run to promotion to the Women's Super League (WSL), with a record 13 wins and 1 draw.[2] In doing so, she became the youngest head coach in the WSL,[3] and was subsequently awarded the Women's Championship Manager of the Season award.[8]
In May 2021, Davies was sacked as Villa manager in a shock decision, while in competition for the role with then interim manager Marucs Bignot.[9] They were both replaced soon after by former Birmingham City Women manager Carla Ward.[10]
England women youth teams
[edit]In October 2021, Davies became the head coach for the England women's under-19 team, beginning with 2022 U19 Championship qualification.[11] In April 2022 she led the team to successful qualification for the final tournament,[12] where they exited in the group stage of the tournament.[13]
In the summer of 2023, Davies joined former footballers Remi Allen and Anita Asante as coaches of the England women's under-23 team.[14]
Managerial honours
[edit]Aston Villa Women
Individual
- Women's Championship Manager of the Month: August 2019,[6] December 2019[15]
- Women's Championship Manager of the Season: 2019–20[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Gemma Davies". Sports Mole. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Evans, Gregg (1 September 2020). "Aston Villa: A women's football revolution". The Athletic. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b Taylor, Louise (2 October 2020). "Aston Villa's Gemma Davies: 'There hasn't been a moment I didn't want to coach'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Frith, Wilf (19 June 2018). "Aston Villa Ladies appoint Gemma Davies as Head Coach". She Kicks. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa Football Club | The official club website". Aston Villa FC. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Aston Villa Women: Davies wins Manager of the Month!". Aston Villa FC. 9 September 2019. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Villa Women named Champions and promoted to Super League 🏆". Aston Villa FC. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Gemma Davies and Sian Rogers both receive individual accolades". Aston Villa FC. 27 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa: Surprise as WSL club sack head coach Gemma Davies". The Athletic. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Wrack, Suzanne (20 May 2021). "WSL: Carla Ward named Aston Villa manager days after leaving Birmingham". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Davies, Callum (15 October 2021). "England WU19s squad named for start of Euro qualifying campaign". England Football. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Smith, Frank (13 April 2022). "Gemma Davies: 'I am over the moon really for all the girls and staff". England Football. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Smith, Frank (3 July 2022). "Match report: England WU19s 0-3 Germany". England Football. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (13 November 2023). "England Under-23s thriving with Wiegman support". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "LMA Manager of the Month Awards - December 2019". League Managers Association. 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
External links
[edit]- Gemma Davies coach profile at Soccerway
- Gemma Davies manager profile at Playmakerstats