{{short description|English footballer and coach}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Freya Coombe | image = NC Courage vs KC Current (Sep 2024) 071.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Coombe with the Kansas City Current in 2024 | fullname = | birth_date = | birth_place = England | death_date = | height = | position = | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | collegeyears1 = | college1 = | collegecaps1 = | collegegoals1 = | years1 = | clubs1 = Reading | caps1 = | goals1 = | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | medaltemplates = | club-update = | nationalteam-update = | manageryears1 = 2013–2014 | managerclubs1 = Reading Reserves | manageryears2 = 2019–2021 | managerclubs2 = NJ/NY Gotham FC<ref name = "Gotham" group="lower-alpha">Sky Blue FC changed its name to NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2021</ref> | manageryears3 = 2022–2023 | managerclubs3 = Angel City FC | manageryears4 = 2024– | managerclubs4 = Kansas City Current (assistant) }} '''Freya Coombe''' is an English football manager and former player who is an assistant coach for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/soccer/kc-current/article284053648.html |title='Warriors and artists': See the vision for Vlatko Andonovski & new KC Current coaches |date=10 January 2024 |access-date=10 January 2024 |work=Kansas City Star |first=Daniel |last=Sperry}}</ref> She formerly managed NJ/NY Gotham FC and Angel City FC of the NWSL.
==Early life== Coombe grew up in Buckinghamshire, England.<ref name="eq">{{cite news |last1=Lauletta |first1=Dan |title='It's hard not to be energized': Meet new Sky Blue head coach Freya Coombe |url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2019/12/23/new-sky-blue-fc-head-coach-freya-coombe-interview-nwsl/ |accessdate=5 January 2020 |publisher=The Equalizer |date=23 December 2019}}</ref> Alongside her early part-time football managing career, Coombe was also a full-time lecturer of sports sciences at Buckinghamshire New University.<ref name="ath-2020">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1737890/2020/04/11/freya-coome-nwsl-sky-blue-fc/ |title='I sometimes ask myself how I got here' — Freya Coombe, from Reading to NWSL |date=April 10, 2020 |access-date=April 17, 2023 |work=The Athletic |first=Kieran |last=Theivam}}</ref>
==Club career== Coombe played for Reading for five years.<ref name="hc">{{cite press release |title=Sky Blue FC names Freya Coombe head coach for 2020 |url=https://skybluefc.com/2019/12/17/sky-blue-fc-names-freya-coombe-head-coach/ |access-date=17 April 2023 |publisher=Sky Blue FC |date=17 December 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226054211/https://skybluefc.com/2019/12/17/sky-blue-fc-names-freya-coombe-head-coach/ |archive-date=26 December 2019}}</ref>
==Managerial career== Coombe coached in various roles at Reading over a seven-year period, including managing the club's reserve team.<ref name="hc" /> Coombe's players at Reading included a young Fran Kirby.<ref name="ath-2020"/>
Coombe then moved to the United States and coached youth soccer in the New York metropolitan area,<ref name="youth">{{cite news |title=Freya Coombe appointed as Sky Blue – NYSC Girls Director of Scouting and U19 Girls Development Academy Coach |url=https://www.newyorksoccerclub.org/news_article/show/927045 |accessdate=5 January 2020 |publisher=New York Soccer Club |date=14 June 2018}}</ref> in part thanks to a reference from former Reading player Mikaela Howell then working at Everton America, a Connecticut-based youth affiliate of Everton F.C.<ref name="ath-2020"/>
=== NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2019–2021 === In 2019, Coombe inquired at New Jersey–based Sky Blue FC of the National Women's Soccer League to observe the club as part of her development, and watched the team in July and August 2019. The club's head coach Denise Reddy was fired before Coombe's arrival, and goalkeeping coach Hugo Macedo was named the club's caretaker during Coombe's stint as an observer.<ref name="ath-2020"/> On 4 September 2019, Sky Blue FC named Coombe as its interim head coach.<ref name="hc" /><ref name="ath-2020"/>
The team removed her interim tag in December 2019.<ref name="hc" /> The club later renamed to NJ/NY Gotham FC. The club's best result in an NWSL competition during Coombe's tenure was reaching the finals of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, where Gotham FC drew 1–1 against Portland Thorns FC after extra time and lost 5–6 in a penalty shootout.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/thorns-beat-gotham-fc-penalties-win-challenge-cup-2021-05-08/ |title=Thorns beat Gotham FC on penalties to win Challenge Cup |date=8 May 2021 |access-date=17 April 2023 |work=Reuters}}</ref>
On 22 August 2021, NWSL expansion team Angel City FC named Coombe its first head coach, to begin play in the 2022 NWSL season.<ref name="angel">{{cite news |title=Angel City names Freya Coombe as new coach |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2021-08-22/angel-city-names-freya-coombe-new-coach |work=Los Angeles Times |date=22 August 2021}}</ref> After initially planning on managing Gotham FC for the remainder of the 2021 NWSL season,<ref name="ath-acfc-hiring">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2784263/2021/08/22/angel-city-fc-freya-coombe/ |title=Angel City FC hires Gotham FC's Freya Coombe as first head coach |date=22 August 2021 |access-date=17 April 2023 |work=The Athletic |first=Meg |last=Linehan}}</ref> Gotham FC general manager Yael Averbuch West announced on 24 August 2021 that the team and Coombe agreed that Coombe should resign on 29 August 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4201894/2021/08/25/gotham-fc-coach-freya-coombe-to-leave-team-sunday-after-taking-angel-city-job/ |title=Gotham FC coach Freya Coombe to leave team Sunday after taking Angel City job |date=24 August 2021 |access-date=17 April 2023 |work=The Athletic}}</ref>
===Angel City FC, 2022–2023=== Coombe guided Angel City FC in its inaugural season to a {{Win-loss record|w=1|d=1|l=4}} record and last-place West Division group finish in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. In the regular season, Angel City remained in contention for the NWSL Playoffs until the season's final round, but finished at eighth place on the table with a record of {{Win-loss record|w=8|d=5|l=9}} and did not qualify.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.angelsonparade.com/2022/10/12/23389520/looking-back-freya-coombe-2022-season-angel-city-fc |title=Looking back on Freya Coombe's 2022 season with Angel City FC |date=12 October 2022 |access-date=17 April 2023 |first=Alicia |last=Rodriguez}}</ref>
On June 15, 2023, Angel City FC announced that it had "parted ways" with Coombe the previous day.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.angelcity.com/news/article/angel-city-fc-parts-ways-with-freya-coombe |title=Angel City FC Parts Ways with Freya Coombe |date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 15, 2023 |publisher=Angel City FC}}</ref> A report by Meg Linehan in ''The Athletic'' published on June 14 claimed the team had fired her. Her firing followed a {{win-loss record|w=2|d=3|l=6}} start to the season, and Angel City were in 11th place of 12 teams at the time of her exit.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4611777/2023/06/14/angel-city-fires-coach-freya-coombe/ |title=Angel City fires coach Freya Coombe after 11th-place start to season |date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 15, 2023 |work=The Athletic |first=Meg |last=Linehan}}</ref>
=== KC Current, 2024– === After a brief step away from the NWSL, Freya Coombe returned in January 2024 to work under former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovki, becoming Assistant Coach to the Kansas City Current. <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.squaddepth.com/freya-coombe-interview-kc-current-kansas-city-fox-world-cup-2023/ |title=Freya Coombe on life, footy with the Kansas City Current |date=8 November 2024 |access-date=3 June 2025 |first=Theo |last=Lloyd-Hughes}}</ref>
==Managerial statistics== {{updated|15 June 2023}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fbref.com/en/squads/8e306dc6/history/Gotham-FC-Stats-and-History |title=NJ/NY Gotham FC Stats and History |access-date=April 17, 2023 |work=FBRef}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://fbref.com/en/squads/ae38d267/history/Angel-City-FC-Stats-and-History |title=Angel City FC Stats and History |access-date=April 17, 2023 |work=FBRef}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |+ Managerial record by team and tenure, all official competitions <!-- does not include preseason matches and international friendlies --> |- ! rowspan=2 scope="col" | Team ! rowspan=2 scope="col" | From ! rowspan=2 scope="col" | To ! colspan=8 scope="col" | Record |- ! {{abbr|P|Matches played}} ! {{abbr|W|Matches won}} ! {{abbr|D|Matches drawn}} ! {{abbr|L|Matches lost}} ! {{abbr|GF|Goals for}} ! {{abbr|GA|Goals against}} ! {{abbr|GD|Goal difference}} ! {{abbr|Win %|Winning percentage}} |- | NJ/NY Gotham FC<ref name = "Gotham" group="lower-alpha">Sky Blue FC changed its name to NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2021</ref> | 4 September 2019 | 29 August 2021 {{WDL|31|9|9|13|for=32|against=37|diff=yes}} |- | Angel City FC | 19 March 2022 | 14 June 2023 {{WDL|36|10|9|17|for=39|against=53|diff=yes}} |- ! colspan=3 scope="row" | Career totals {{WDLtot|67|19|18|30|for=71|against=90|diff=yes}} |} {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{soccerway|freya-coombe/636240}} * {{LinkedIn page|in/freya-coombe-8172b826}}
{{Sky Blue FC managers}} {{Angel City FC managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coombe, Freya}} Category:English women's football managers Category:National Women's Soccer League head coaches Category:Gotham FC head coaches Category:English women's footballers Category:English expatriate football managers Category:Reading F.C. Women players Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Category:Footballers from Reading, Berkshire Category:Footballers from Buckinghamshire Category:Women's association football players not categorized by position Category:Angel City FC head coaches Category:Kansas City Current non-playing staff