Former coach Gary Hunt makes the return to Waterford FC for 2025, as he becomes the first-ever Head Coach of Waterford Women’s FC.
Hunt first joined the club's coaching set-up in 2019 as Head of Youth Development, where he oversaw the U13, U15,U17 & U19 men’s sides. He managed the U19 side to League glory later that year, as the young Blues defeated Galway United FC away from home to be crowned the 2019 U19 League of Ireland champions.
The UEFA Pro Licence holder made the step-up to the first-team set-up for the 2022 season as one of the first-team coaches. After a difficult start to the season, Gary & David Breen took charge for 6 games in Waterford's First Division campaign, where they had an impressive 100% record, winning six out of six games, before Danny Searle was announced as Head Coach.
2023 saw Hunt heavily involved with Keith Long’s backroom set-up, as the Blues earned promotion back to the Premier Division through the Promotion/Relegation final. He then made the decision to leave the club to take up the management role with Cobh Ramblers in the 2024 First Division.
In Hunt’s first year as a senior manager in the League of Ireland, he helped Ramblers finish in 8th position in the league table, whilst achieving Cobh’s third-highest points-per-game ratio in the past seven years, and integrating ten young academy players into matchday squads throughout the season.
Hunt now makes the move back to the RSC ahead of 2025, where he spoke on his excitement to lead the Women’s side for 2025:
“I’m delighted to be back. An opportunity came over the last few weeks, and it was something I wasn’t hesitant about taking. I’m really looking forward to getting started with the group, and taking Waterford into a new era.
“I have a background here in the academy and first-team where I’ve had some brilliant successes on the pitch, and I’m looking forward now to hopefully carrying that over to the Women’s side. What success looks like for us over the first year might be a bit different but I’m really looking forward to taking this group and setting up something for Waterford that has been a long-time coming”.
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
