He’s back!
Perth Glory is delighted to confirm that Neil Kilkenny has re-signed for the club.
The midfielder has put pen to paper on a three-year deal which will also see him offered a coaching role with Glory at the end of that period, subject to him having secured the required qualifications.
The 32-year-old made a strong impression during the 10 games that he played for Glory last term following his arrival during the January transfer window and is very pleased to have pledged his long-term future to the club.
“I really enjoyed the couple of months that I spent at the club last season and it was good that we managed to improve our results in the later rounds,” he said.
“When the club offered me a three-year deal with a coaching job at the end of it, it was too good to turn down.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I have ambitions to be a coach and a manager and I appreciate the club recognising that potential in me and giving me the opportunity to take my first steps in fulfilling those ambitions in Perth.
“The club has the potential to be extremely successful with the right personnel on board who bring the right winning mentality and I want to be a part of that success.
“Hopefully I can be one of the first pieces in a jigsaw puzzle that comes together and takes the club to where I think it should be in terms of achieving regular success.”
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Kilkenny’s wife Caprice and three young children are looking forward to moving to one of the world’s most family-friendly cities, but for the man with 14 Socceroos caps to his name, returning to the West was solely a footballing decision.
“The Perth lifestyle and the lovely weather and so on are all great,” he said, “but that’s not what it’s about for me. I’m coming here to do everything I can to help this club win things, not to enjoy the sunshine.
“I’ve always demanded the highest of standards from myself and those around me. That’s what I did when I came here last season and I’ll be doing exactly the same now that I’ve re-signed.”
Glory’s Football Director Jacob Burns, meanwhile, feels that Kilkenny will have a vital role to play on and off the field.
“We saw last season what an impact Neil made when he came in,’’ he said.
“In addition to his influential performances in central midfield, he also showed great leadership qualities on and off the pitch and is exactly the kind of quality player and quality character that we need to drive the club forward.”
In addition to his 10 appearances for Glory last season, Kilkenny also played 28 Hyundai A-League games for Melbourne City where he took out the 2016-17 Player and Fans’ Player of the Year awards.
Prior to moving to the Victorian capital, he had spent his entire professional career in England where, after coming through the youth ranks at Arsenal, he turned out for Birmingham City, Oldham Athletic (loan), Leeds United, Bristol City and Preston North End.
The highlights of his international career, meanwhile, included representing the Socceroos at the 2011 Asian Cup and the Olyroos at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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