Chelsea Noonan on taking a big step into elite coaching at Birmingham City

When one door closes another one opens.

This certainly was the case for Douglas woman Chelsea Noonan, whose playing career was cut short at 21 due to a second ACL reconstruction. She stayed involved in the game and the career of the football enthusiast has thrived since.

First, she dabbled with refereeing, which she enjoyed, but later realised that coaching was the pathway she wanted to follow. Seven years on and she is living the dream. 

Like most footballers, the goal is to make it in England. And that doesn't change when you go from being a player to a coach. 

The ambition to coach at a high level in England has been a target of Noonan's for a while. And with the experience she has gained in the past 24 months working as a development officer with the FAI and then a spell in Australia, Noonan now finds herself starting the ladder in the UK as she just landed the assistant head coach job with Birmingham Ladies football club.

"The role was advertised late May and I felt the timing was right in my coaching journey to submit an application after spending the previous 12 months in Australia," said Noonan. 

"I was contacted regarding an interview around four weeks later which took place via Zoom with Head Coach Amy Merricks and Technical Director Hope Powell and lasted around 90 minutes. The next round would typically be an on-pitch assessment but given the fact I was in Australia, I sent across an array of coaching footage. 

"I got the call to offer me the position on July 11 and I was really excited.

"I was thrown in the deep end really as my first meeting with the squad was travelling to Spain for a prep season warm weather break. We had an early flight to Spain, leaving the training ground at 4am which was my first time meeting all the players and staff although everyone made me feel extremely welcome regardless of the early hour." 

This was the first time the club had been on a pre-season tour so it was a great milestone and very beneficial for their growth and development as a group. They spent six days in Girona further developing our style of play and brand of football and finished the week with a friendly against Liga F side Levante Badalona.

Birmingham City has always been a pioneer in Women’s Football and this upcoming season is due to be an exciting project. 

"The team will compete in the Barclays Women’s Championship which is the second tier of football in England. Both staff and players believe we have the foundations in place to be competitive this year and of course, promotion to the WSL is the goal but we are conscious of not thinking too far ahead and instead focusing on our performance each week.

"There’s a strong Irish contingent at the club with Louise Quinn, Lucy Quinn, Lily Agg and Jamie Finn among the playing squad. It’s a nice connection to home to have the few Irish girls within the squad.

ADJUSTING

"I returned from Spain earlier this week so at the minute living out of a suitcase in a local hotel near the training ground in Solihull. I’m hopeful to lock in more permanent accommodation in the coming days, although it has been hectic I've spending much of my time at the club so far. 

"I’m keen to secure somewhere in this area as it has a nice mix of cafes and restaurants while not being too busy and has some nice quiet spots."

Her weekly schedule will mainly be from 8am to 5pm with some days consisting of a double session, other days will be gym and of course plenty of staff meetings and tasks to be completed in addition. 

"Once I’m more settled it will be good to explore the area a bit more, there’s a few nice walkways that have been recommended to me which will be good to switch off on those rest days.

"I spent the previous 12 months at Western United in Melbourne in the same role, Assistant Head Coach which was instrumental in my development.

"I think for anyone involved in women’s football, England is probably the pinnacle we all strive for, be that as a player or a coach. It’s a bit surreal still that I’m here, coaching players that I used to watch on the TV only a few years ago but definitely an experience that I’m jumping two feet into."