Gary White (football)
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary John White[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 July 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Southampton, England | ||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Hong Kong (Head Coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1986–1990 | Southampton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1994 | Bognor Regis Town | 28 | (8) |
| 1994–1996 | Fremantle City | 45 | (13) |
| Total | 73 | (21) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1998–1999 | British Virgin Islands | ||
| 1999–2008 | Bahamas | ||
| 2012–2016 | Guam | ||
| 2016 | Shanghai Shenxin | ||
| 2017–2018 | Chinese Taipei | ||
| 2018– | Hong Kong | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Gary John White (born 1974) is an English football manager who is currently the head coach of Hong Kong.
Early life
White was born in Southampton, England,[2] and had a successful youth playing career. He was selected for both the Southampton City and Hampshire County representative teams and was a future prospect for Southampton FC.[3]
Playing career
White signed for Fremantle City Soccer Club in the Western Australia State League in 1994, where he played two seasons for the club. Prior to signing for the Australian outfit, White played for Bognor Regis Town.
Managerial career
British Virgin Islands
White was the national technical director and national team head coach for the British Virgin Islands, where he had success during the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification which resulted in the national team shooting up the FIFA World Rankings at 28 places. White is still one of the youngest ever national team coach when he took his role at 24, and was also one of the youngest ever coaches to compete in a FIFA World Cup qualification at 25.
Bahamas
White signed with the Bahamas in September 1999, where he was National Team Coach and Technical Director. During his tenure with the Bahamas, White moved the national team 55 places up the FIFA world ranking. Also as technical director White directed and oversaw all National Team programmes and National Staff Coaches in preparation for all FIFA and CONCACAF Competitions, including coaching education for the National coaches. White also designed and implemented a National Coaching Philosophy as part of the International Teams and Player Development Strategy.
White coached and managed more than 65 FIFA Certified International matches and also during his time as manager the Bahamas was FIFA's highest mover in 2006.
In 2009, he left for the Seattle Sounders elite player development program.
Washington State Soccer and Seattle Sounders FC (EPD) Technical Director
During his time in Seattle White lead the daily technical operations for the Sounders FC Elite Player Development Program and Washington States coaching education initiatives.[4] During White's time in Seattle the Washington State / Sounders FC Elite Player Development Program became a powerhouse in the nation on and off the field and lead the country with their modern player & coaching development initiatives which, in the end, forced US Youth Soccers ODP (Olympic Development Program) to modernise and become more elite. During White's tenure the Washington State / Sounders FC EPD program won eight US Youth Soccer Championships in two years, these were the first championships that Washington had won in over 15 barren years and made the program California South's biggest rival in the country. White was named in the US Soccer Task Force for National player Development along with such names as Mia Hamm and Claudio Reyna.
Guam
On 1 February 2012, White was appointed as head coach of Guam and also serves as the federation's technical director.
Guam national team shocked the world under White most notably in June 2015 when after two games of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers they lead group D. In group D included world heavy weights Iran and regionally strong outfits Oman, India and Turkmenistan. Guam with White as the coach comfortably beat both India and Turkmenistan and tied with Oman. Guam qualified for the final round of the Asian cup 2018 and reached their best ever FIFA ranking under White’s management with a remarkable increase of 50+ places. [5]
Due to the success of the Matao FIFA Futbol Mundial (episode #137) and various other world media have featured White and the progress of the Guam national football team.
China
On 30 May 2016, White was appointed as head coach of Shanghai Shenxin in the China League One, with the side facing a relegation battle.[6] White successfully guided them to safety and a commendable top 10 place finish, while breaking various club records. His records include, highest ever scoring wins for both home and away games. The team ended up being the 2nd highest scoring team in the league, just behind Cannavaro’s Tianjin. On 26 November 2016, Shanghai Shenxin announced that they had parted company with White by mutual agreement, which shocked fans due to the positive impact White had brought to the club. [7]
Chinese Taipei
On 15 September 2017, White was officially announced as head coach and technical director of the Chinese Taipei, with his first games in charge coming against Mongolia and Bahrain on the 5th and 10th October. His appointment saw an immediate improvement in results for Chinese Taipei, with a 4-2 friendly win against Mongolia in his first game, and a shock 2-1 win against Bahrain in a 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifier. Before White was appointed, Chinese Taipei had lost the reverse fixture 5-0 to Bahrain.
White's winning percentage with Chinese Taipei was 58.3% and the national team won every home match under his leadership. The team also reached their highest FIFA ranking of 121st during his tenure.[8]
Hong Kong
White was announced as Hong Kong's head coach on 10 September 2018.[9]
References
- ↑ Gary White at Soccerway
- ↑ May, John (11 October 2006). "White flies the flag in Bahamas". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ↑ May, John (18 March 2004). "Island of football dreams". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ↑ White, Jonathan. "Who is Hong Kong's new coach? 'Future England manager' Gary White's in his own words". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ "What's it like to coach a tiny soccer nation?". Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ↑ 关于盖瑞怀特（Gary White） 先生出任上海申鑫足球俱乐部主教练的公告 Archived 31 May 2016 at Archive.is (in Chinese)
- ↑ "上海申鑫足球俱乐部官方公告". shenxinfc.sh.cn (in Chinese). Shanghai Shenxin F.C. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ↑ White, Jonathan. "Who is Hong Kong's new coach? 'Future England manager' Gary White's in his own words". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ Chan, Kin-wa. "Gary White lands Hong Kong job as Football Association finally confirm new head coach after months of speculation". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 10 September 2018.