Managerial statistics
As of 8 July 2019 [update] (end of head coach role) [41]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Rangers Women |  | 3 May 2017 | 8 July 2019 | 58 | 24 | 4 | 30 | 41.38 |
| Total | 58 | 24 | 4 | 30 | 41.38 | |||
| 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.
Born in Rutherglen and a pupil at Stonelaw High School in the town, [1] McDonald emerged as a central defender or defensive midfielder. Her progression into elite football coincided with the introduction of the new Scottish Women's Premier League. She spent time as a youth with East Kilbride [2] (recruited initially as a goalkeeper) [3] and began her senior career with Hamilton Athletic.
In 2005, McDonald moved to Kilmarnock. In May 2006 she played a pivotal role in Killie winning the Scottish Women's Premier League Cup 3–2 against Glasgow City, scoring in the first half of the final and deputising as goalkeeper for the entire second half due to an injury, keeping a clean sheet. [4]
In summer 2007, 21-year-old McDonald signed for newly-promoted Queen's Park and in November captained the team in another SWPL Cup final, which this time ended with a defeat to Hibernian; [5] [6] at the end of the season the Queen's Park squad (including future international Jen Beattie) broke up and the club resigned from the league, with McDonald rejoining Kilmarnock for 2008–09.
In summer 2009, Celtic secured McDonald's services for their third campaign in the SWPL, immediately installing her as captain. The Hoops, who also brought in Scotland players Gemma Fay and Suzanne Grant to strengthen their squad, [7] finished runners-up in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons (the league having transitioned from a winter to a summer schedule), and defeated Rangers 8–0 in the inaugural fixture between the rivals, with McDonald among the scorers. In May 2010 Celtic secured a first major trophy in the women's game by winning the SWPL Cup, McDonald lifting the trophy after a 4–1 win over Spartans. [8] [9] However her form fluctuated and she took a break from football to deal with personal issues going into the following season, and in June 2011 she was released by Celtic. [3]
A short time later, 25-year-old McDonald was acquired by reigning Scottish champions Glasgow City. [10] She featured in most of the remaining games in the 2011 Scottish Women's Premier League (which ended with a fifth successive title and a perfect season for the club), but did not make the squad for the final of the 2011 Scottish Women's Cup. She made one substitute appearance for City in the Champions League, scoring an own goal in a club record 0–10 defeat against Potsdam. [11]
The 2012 season proved to be McDonald's last as a player. Having made six appearances for Glasgow City at the start of the campaign, she suffered a serious ankle ligament injury in a cup game against Aberdeen on 15 April 2012. She was an unused substitute in the 2012 SWPL Cup final [12] which Glasgow City won as part of a treble, but despite her best efforts and several operations, she was unable to fully recover to play competitively again, bowing out at the age of just 26. [lower-alpha 1] It was also a blow to the club, as manager Eddie Wolecki Black had commented on her arrival that he expected McDonald to be "An integral part of the team for years to come"; [10] however she was an active member of the squad for less than a year before being forced to quit.
After being part of the various age-group squads in her formative years, [16] [17] [1] McDonald earned 30 full caps for Scotland between 2004 and 2009, as well as being a member of the squad for many other fixtures. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [1] [23] Her final appearance came in September 2009 against Switzerland.
While playing for Hamilton, Kilmarnock and Queen's Park she was usually the only representative of each club selected for national squads; she stated that she chose to sign for the weaker SWPL clubs in the early part of her career as she would be more likely to play regularly, and to find herself having to deal with more challenging defensive situations. [3]
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]
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]
As of 8 July 2019 [update] (end of head coach role) [41]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Rangers Women | | 3 May 2017 | 8 July 2019 | 58 | 24 | 4 | 30 | 41.38 |
| Total | 58 | 24 | 4 | 30 | 41.38 | |||
Glasgow City Football Club is a professional women's football team based in Glasgow that plays in SWPL 1, the top division of women's football in Scotland and also the higher of two levels of the Scottish Women's Premier League. The club has competed in the UEFA Women's Cup and UEFA Women's Champions League. They also have a reserve team and youth teams.
The Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) is the highest level of league competition in women's football in Scotland. Its two divisions are SWPL 1 and SWPL 2. The league was formed when the Premier Division of the Scottish Women's Football League (SWFL) broke away to form the SWPL in 2002. SWPL 2 was introduced in 2016.
The Scottish Women's Football League First Division was a division in the Scottish women's football pyramid between 1999 and 2019. The second league tier from 1999 to 2015, it was later the third tier from 2016 to 2019.
The Scottish Women's Premier League Cup, currently known as the Sky Sports Cup due to sponsorship and commonly shortened to the SWPL Cup, is a league cup competition in women's football in Scotland. The cup is open only to the teams in the Scottish Women's Premier League. There are four rounds, including the final.
Celtic Football Club Women is a Scottish professional association football team, the women's section of Celtic Football Club. They play in the Scottish Women's Premier League, the top division of women's football in Scotland. They compete as Celtic FC, and are normally called the 'women's first team' within the club. In December 2018 they announced their intentions to become the first professional women's football team in Scotland with the transition completed in January 2020.
Hibernian Women's Football Club is a women's football team based in Edinburgh that plays in the Scottish Women's Premier League, the top division of women's football in Scotland. They were officially integrated as a department of Hibernian F.C. in 2022, having previously been linked less formally via their community foundation, using the club's training facilities and colours.
Rhonda Jones is a retired Scottish footballer who played as a defender and won over 100 caps for the Scotland national team. A right-back or central defender, Jones played for Tampa Bay Hellenic in the United States. She then captained Hibernian Ladies and played for English FA WSL club Doncaster Rovers Belles, before returning to Scotland for spells with Celtic, Glasgow City and Rangers.
Suzanne Lappin is a Scottish former international football midfielder who last played for Glasgow City in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) before retiring in 2015. She began her senior career with Glasgow City in 2003 before spending two seasons in the English FA WSL with Liverpool Ladies in 2011 and Chelsea Ladies in 2012; her time at Liverpool also included a loan spell at Celtic. Lappin re-signed with Glasgow City in 2012.
Rangers Women's Football Club is a women's football team that plays in the Scottish Women's Premier League, the top division of women's football in Scotland. The team is the female branch of Rangers.
Leanne Crichton is a Scottish international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Motherwell and the Scotland national team. She has previously played for Notts County in the FA WSL as well as Hibernian, Celtic, Whitehill Welfare/Edinburgh Ladies and Glasgow City. She is also a coach, and a media pundit for BBC Scotland's football coverage on radio and television.
Sarah Crilly is a Scottish footballer who plays for Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) club Motherwell, typically as a winger. Crilly has four caps and two goals for the Scotland women's national football team.
Motherwell Football Club Women is a Scottish women's football team based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. They are members of the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) and currently compete in its top tier, SWPL1, since winning SWPL2 in 2018. For the 2020-21 season are playing their home matches at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.
Brogan Yvonne Hay is a Scottish footballer who plays for Rangers in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) as a right winger or forward.
Elizabeth Jane Arnot is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Rangers in the Scottish Women's Premier League and the Scotland national team. She has previously played for Manchester United, Hibernian and Hutchison Vale.
Rachel McLauchlan is a Scottish footballer, who plays as a winger for Rangers Women and for the Scotland women's national football team. She previously played for Inverness CTS, Aberdeen F.C. Women, Hibernian W.F.C., Yeovil Town in England's Women's Super League as well as Glasgow City F.C.
The 2019 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup was the 18th edition of the Scottish Women's Premier League's league cup competition, which began in 2002. It was sponsored by the Scottish Building Society and officially known as the Scottish Building Society Scottish Women's Premier League Cup. The competition was contested by all 16 teams of the two divisions of the Scottish Women's Premier League.
Carla Jane Boyce is a Scottish footballer who plays as a forward for Motherwell in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL). She previously played for Glasgow City, Rangers and Hibernian in the top flight of Scottish women's football, and for the Scotland under-19 team.
The 2022–23 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup was the 20th edition of the Scottish Women's Premier League's league cup competition, which began in 2002. It was sponsored by Sky Sports and officially known as the Sky Sports Scottish Women's Premier League Cup. The competition was contested by all 16 teams of the two divisions of the Scottish Women's Premier League.
The 2021–22 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup was the 20th edition of the SWPL Cup competition, which began in 2002. The competition was to be contested by all 18 teams of the two divisions of the Scottish Women's Premier League and they were divided into four qualifying groups. However Forfar Farmington withdrew after playing just one match, so only 17 teams continued in the competition. Forfar's withdrawal made Dundee United's 10–0 win in the first match of the group stages null and void.
The 2011 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup was the 10th edition of the SWPL Cup competition, which began in 2002. The competition was to be contested by all 12 teams of the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL