From London City Lionesses
Last week, the London City Lionesses announced that Melissa Phillips has been appointed as the club's new Head Coach. Melissa had been in caretaker charge of the First Team and oversaw the first victory of the season, against London Bees, last Sunday.
Phillips was a Warrior defender from 2005 to 2008. She was an All-West Region defender in 2007 and 2008.
London City Lionesses is a fully professional women's association football club based in Dartford, England. The team competes in FA Women's Championship during the 2019–20 season, the second tier of English women's football.
Melissa said: "I am incredibly humbled by the opportunity to lead the London City Lionesses First Team in a greater capacity. For me, leadership isn't a matter of your title but rather the impact and influence you have on an organisation. My role since joining London City has been to help drive the vision, values and ambitions of the club forward.
"I am grateful for Diane and the Board's belief in me and the opportunity to continue doing so as the next Head Coach. I feel we have only just scratched the surface of our potential and am excited for the journey ahead.
"I have so much respect and appreciation for the players continued commitment to the club's ambitions; they are truly a resilient group and growing each day together. My aim is to create an environment that each player thrives in, focused on holistic player development and elevating our current culture and football philosophy."
Diane Culligan, Chairwoman, said: "Mel has been excellent in every aspect since she joined us, so the decision to promote her to Head Coach was a very easy one. Mel was one of the US' most highly-regarded young coaches and, in time, we are confident that she will become one of the UK's top managers.
"Specifically, I would like to thank Mel for her efforts over the last week following Lisa's departure. We were all delighted to register our first win of the season and are sure that the team will build momentum over the coming weeks."
Phillips joined the London City Lionesses this summer. She moved from the University of Pennsylvania's coaching programme in America. There, Melissa was the Women's Team Assistant Coach – a role she held for five years, which was also the most successful period in their history.
Phillips' young Penn team won plaudits for their high-scoring, defensively resolute performances. This culminated in them being crowned the 2018 Ivy League Champions. Before Penn, Melissa was Assistant Women's Coach at the University of San Francisco and Head Women's Coach at California State University Bakersfield.
