Tanya Oxtoby

Tanya Helen Oxtoby (born 15 June 1982) is an Australian soccer coach and former player, who is currently the manager of the Northern Ireland women's national team.

Tanya Oxtoby
Oxtoby with Perth Glory in 2010
Personal information
Full name Tanya Helen Oxtoby[1]
Date of birth (1982-06-15) 15 June 1982
Place of birth Wickham, Australia
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back[2]
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea (assistant)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 Northern Redbacks
2003–2004 Northern NSW Pride
2004–2008 Western Waves
2008–2012 Perth Glory 40 (0)
2012 Doncaster Rovers Belles 14 (0)
2012 Everton
Total 54 (0)
Managerial career
2012–2014 Nottingham Forest
2014–2015 Perth Glory (assistant)
2014–2016 Australia U20 (assistant)
2016–2018 Birmingham City (assistant)
2018–2021 Bristol City
2021 Scotland (assistant)
2021–2023 Chelsea (assistant)
2023– Northern Ireland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

A centre-back during her playing career, she signed for FA WSL club Doncaster Rovers Belles in February 2012, after four seasons playing for Perth Glory in the Australian W-League. In July 2012, she agreed to manage Nottingham Forest Ladies, in addition to her playing duties with Doncaster. After finishing her playing career with Everton, she worked full-time as a coach with Notts County Ladies, as their Development Team Manager.

After returning home to Australia in 2015 to the club she captained, Oxtoby became the assistant coach for Perth Glory Women, helping guide the Glory to their only Premiers Plate, winning the league, as well as their first ever grand final appearance. During this period, she also set up Tanya Oxtoby Football Coaching, her own coaching and mentoring business for female footballers and coaches. She also spent 18 months working with the Australian under 20 team, as an assistant coach and video analyst.

Following a successful stint back in Australia, Oxtoby was offered an exceptional role as Head Coach and Director of Development at Notts County Ladies in early 2016, a role coupled with first team assistant coach duties. Oxtoby became the Head of Women's Football and Futsal at the University of Nottingham, to oversee the entire development pathway for Notts County Ladies. In 2016, Oxtoby was recruited by Birmingham City Ladies to become an assistant coach with the first team in the Women's Super League. From 2018 to 2021, she was the manager of Bristol City, and then served as an assistant coach with the Scotland women's national football team and Chelsea.

Playing career

Born in Wickham, Western Australia, Oxtoby began playing as an eight-year-old in the Pilbara town of Wickham, initially playing in a team coached by her father.[3][4]

Between 1995 and 1999, she attended the Soccer Excellence Program at John Curtin College of the Arts.[5] In 1999, Oxtoby was selected for the Australian Under–19 Schoolgirls team but did not make the touring squad to England.[6]

In 2005, Oxtoby was appointed captain of the Western Waves in the Australian Women's National Soccer League.[7]

In 2008, she was appointed captain of Perth Glory's women's team in the W-League.[8][9] She was one of only a few players of Indigenous descent to play in the W-League, and the first indigenous player to captain her side.[10]

In February 2009, she was named best player for the Glory, winning the Most Glorious Women's Player award.[11] Oxtoby collected the same award for her performances in the 2011 season.[12] Overall, she played 40 matches for the Glory between 2008 and 2012.[13]

Oxtoby, who has dual English–Australian citizenship, joined Glory teammate Katie Holtham at Doncaster Rovers Belles for the 2012 FA WSL season.[14]

Coaching career

In 2007, Oxtoby was appointed assistant coach of the Football West National Training Centre. During 2008, she was appointed Western Australia women's Under-15 coach.[15]

In July 2012, Oxtoby was appointed manager and head coach of English FA Women's Premier League Northern Division club Nottingham Forest,[16] a role she combined with playing for Doncaster in the FA WSL.[17] In August 2013, Oxtoby accepted a coaching role with the reserve team of WSL club Notts County Ladies,[18] before she returned to Australia.

After returning home to Australia in 2014 to the club she captained, Oxtoby become the assistant coach for Perth Glory Women. She helped guide the Glory to the Premiers plate winning the league, and their first ever grand final appearance. During this period, she also set up Tanya Oxtoby Football Coaching, her own coaching and mentoring business for female footballers. She also spent 18 months working with the Australian under 20 team, as an assistant coach and video analyst.

Following a successful stint with back in Australia, she then moved back to Notts County Ladies in early 2016 as their Director of Development and first team assistant coach, and become Head of Women's Football and Futsal at the University of Nottingham.[19]

In 2017, Oxtoby was recruited by Birmingham City Ladies to become an assistant coach with a focus on out of possession with the first team in the Women's Super League. Oxtoby was then recruited at the Talent Identification and Transition Manager for English Colleges Women's National Team, a position she held for two years. She also served as lifestyle advisor for Team GB Goal Ball, a Paralympic sport.

In July 2018, Bristol City Women named Oxtoby its new manager.[20] In her first season with Bristol City, she won two manager of the month awards and took them to a record breaking points tally finishing in 6th place in the Women's Super League,[21][22][23] with the most notable results being draws against Chelsea and Manchester City.[24][25] She managed to ensure Bristol's safety in the WSL in the following season, despite having the lowest budget of all the teams competing within the league, as well as a crippling injury list.[26] She is renowned as an exceptional player developer, identifying young English talent and providing them the opportunity to excel within her provided environment and earn game time at the highest level. The likes of Ebony Salmon, Poppy Pattinson, Katie Robinson and Aimee Palmer are among some of the best young talent to come through under her supervision. In August 2021, she stepped down as manager following her maternity leave, and was succeeded by Lauren Smith.[27]

Following a short stint with the Scotland women's national football team as an assistant coach,[28][29] Oxtoby joined Women's Super League club Chelsea in the same role in September 2021.[30]

On 1 September 2023, Oxtoby was officially appointed as the new manager of the Northern Ireland women's national team,[29][31] having signed a four-year contract with the Irish FA.[31]

Personal life

As well as being a UEFA A licence coach, Oxtoby also holds a Diploma in Football Management from the League Managers Association (LMA), and is a qualified sports psychologist.[32]

In November 2020, she tested positive for COVID-19 but recovered.[33]

In December 2020, she announced that she was pregnant with a son with her partner Alice Kempski who plays for Cheltenham Town Ladies.[34] She announced that she would be taking maternity leave with Matt Beard taking over coaching duties at Bristol City until the end of the season.[35]

See also

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/03/2012 and 31/03/2012" (PDF). The Football Association. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  2. Tanya Oxtoby at WorldFootball.net
  3. Davutovic, David (19 July 2020). "Bristol boss still calls WA home". The Sunday Times. Perth.
  4. "Glory Women Far From Downhearted". FootballWA.net. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  5. Rickers, Peter. "Elite Player Profiles 1990–2009" (PDF). John Curtin College of the Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  6. "Australian Schoolgirls Teams 1987–2006" (PDF). NSW School Football. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  7. "WomenSoccer.com.au | 2006 | April". Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  8. "Glory W-League skipper". Perth Glory FC. 22 October 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  9. "Player profiles". Perth Glory FC. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  10. "The Glory Girls". Stateline WA. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 November 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  11. "Oxtoby voted most Glorious". Community Newspaper Group. 6 February 2009. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  12. Correia, Chris (24 January 2012). "Oxtoby named Perth's best". Football Australia. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  13. Howe, Andrew. "Westfield W-League 2013/14 and Westfield Matildas Media Guide". Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  14. "Defenders/ Tanya Oxtoby". Doncaster Rovers Belles. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  15. "Alistair Edwards Resigns". Football West. 1 November 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  16. "Forest Appoint Aussie Oxtoby". She Kicks. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  17. "Tanya in Dual Role". Doncaster Rovers Belles LFC. 25 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  18. "Tanya Oxtoby joins coaching staff". Notts County Ladies F.C. 27 August 2013. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  19. "England international Laura Bassett joins University coaching team – The University of Nottingham". www.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  20. Crawley, James (4 July 2013). "Oxtoby appointed Vixens manager". Bristol City F.C. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  21. "LMA MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARDS – SEPTEMBER 2018". League Managers Association. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  22. "LMA MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARDS – JANUARY 2019". League Managers Association. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  23. "OXTOBY REWARDED WITH NEW DEAL". Bristol City F.C. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2022. Appointed in June 2018, Oxtoby led the Robins to a sixth-placed finish in the 2018/19 Women's Super League – their highest league position in the club's history with a record points tally of 25.
  24. "Bristol City 0 Chelsea 0". thefa.com. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  25. "Manchester City 2–2 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  26. "BRISTOL CITY WOMEN STATEMENT". Bristol City F.C. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  27. "Tanya Oxtoby: Bristol City manager steps down from role at Women's Championship club". BBC Sport. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  28. "McLaren names four fresh faces for SWNT's June friendlies". Scottish Football Association. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  29. Archer, Kenny (1 September 2023). "New Northern Ireland women's manager Tanya Oxtoby targeting top tournaments". The Irish News. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  30. "Tanya Oxtoby joins Chelsea Women as Assistant Coach". Chelsea F.C. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  31. "Tanya Oxtoby delighted to be new NI women's manager". Irish FA. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  32. "Tanya Oxtoby Football Coaching". Tanya Oxtoby Football Coaching. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  33. "Club Statement: Bristol City Women". Bristol City W.F.C. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  34. "Tanya Oxtoby: Bristol City Women boss announces pregnancy". BBC Sport. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  35. "Bristol City women: Matt Beard set to take over until end of season". BBC Sport. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
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