“I’m from here, so it means the world to me to be in charge at my hometown club and represent WA on the national scene.”
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That was Richard Garcia’s response when asked to describe his feelings at being appointed Glory’s new Head Coach.
Addressing a well-attended media conference at Glory HQ where he was flanked by club CEO Tony Pignata, the former Socceroo spoke of how much taking the reins meant to him personally.
“I’m very proud to be taking charge of the club and being from WA, that makes it extra special,” he said.
“I’m really excited at the challenge ahead and taking the club forward.
“I’ve always been a leader in the groups I’ve been in and it was playing in England when I saw other players take that step up that it [coaching] tickled my interest.
“That slowly grew and once I got back here [to Australia], I always had one eye on being a full-time coach.
“It was a natural progression for me to go into coaching, I’ve had some great mentoring from previous coaches and I feel like I’m ready for the step up.”
In terms of the task ahead, meanwhile, the former Glory skipper is confident that he can drive the club forward in the face of the current testing circumstances.
“I have a great relationship with all the players and I think that’s a big advantage for myself,” he said.
“We need to start with the basics and rebuild the squad.
“The biggest thing is getting the players over the line and making sure we have them contracted for next season.
“These are the challenges we have to face and the club and the league are working hard to get them in order.”
Garcia went on to stress that the young players he worked with in his previous role as Head Coach of the PGFC Academy will form an important part of his First Team plans.
“I think it’s going to be a year throughout the league where people are going to have to rely on youth,” he said, “so we want to make sure that that is part of our process anyway, that we are recruiting from within and creating opportunities for the talented young players in WA.
“WA has always had great players and for us, this is an opportunity to let them spread their wings.
“There are definitely some talented boys there.”
#OneGlory
