Chris Greatwich transitions to his new role as Kaya head coach

Kaya Futbol Club would like to announce the appointment of Chris Greatwich as our new head coach.

Born in England in 1983, Greatwich started his remarkable football career at 11 years old, when he joined Brighton and Hove Albion. He played for the Seagulls for eight years (1995–2003) before attending university in the United States, where he played for his school teams, the Drury Panthers and the Hartwick Hawks. After graduating in 2007, he returned to England and had stints at Lewes and Bognor Regis Town. In 2009, he went back to America to work as a coach for Sonesoccer Training Academy (STA) and play for their men’s team, the Morris County Colonials, where he eventually became the coach.

To further his playing career, he began representing the Philippines in international competitions as early as 2004, giving him a decade’s worth of international experience. He is perhaps most noted for his historic goal against Vietnam in the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.

In January 2013, Greatwich joined Kaya FC as a full-time player and full-time director of Kaya FC Academy. At Kaya, he demonstrated his in-depth knowledge and reading of the game as a player by effectively orchestrating the midfield and providing the creative spark that resulted in comebacks. A consummate and passionate professional, he brings the same expertise, vision, and attitude as director, ushering in significant growth and development for the academy.

His coaching career had already taken off during his playing days. At 18, when he was at Brighton, he completed his FA level 2 course (UEFA “C”) and has been coaching since then. He has earned various licenses and qualifications from his time coaching at STA. During this period, he took his first men’s team, the Morris County Colonials, to the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). They won the most games in the club’s history en route to the regional semifinal berth and were also the only team to beat that year’s NPSL champions.

At Kaya, Greatwich stepped into the coaching role early on. He was instrumental in leading us to the 2014 FA Charity Cup final, a notable feat and affirmation of his coaching acumen. More recently, he took the reins during the 2015 UFL Cup knockout stage, where we won the tournament, beating Ceres-La Salle on penalties in the final. After playing for three seasons at Kaya and being the interim head coach on numerous occasions, Greatwich officially transitions from player to head coach.

“I think it is important that the club enjoyed some stability, and I think that I have shown in my work with the academy that I am invested in the overall development of the club. I know the management and the board have full confidence in my ability to achieve success with the team and build on what we achieved at the end of last year. The Kaya FC organization is ambitious, as am I, and I think we should be competing for silverware every year. … After winning the 2015 UFL Cup and entering the AFC Cup qualifying round, hopefully the belief is now there that we can challenge on a consistent basis,” said Greatwich.

“It is with great honor that I take over as the head coach of Kaya FC. I have thoroughly enjoyed my three years as a player here, but it is now time for me to undertake a new challenge. I am incredibly excited to see what we can do in the upcoming seasons.”

“The core of the squad, I have played with for a number of years, and I have coached them on an interim basis on a number of occasions, so I see the transition from player to coach to be fairly smooth.”

With his distinct knowledge of strategy and passion for coaching, the transition to head coach has always been inevitable. Having established himself as a leader and always instilling in the team Kaya’s “Never say die” attitude, he is now poised to refocus that same abiding leadership while at the helm. Under his stewardship, we will continue to uphold the same values and virtues, but hungrier, more determined, and more committed to achieving our goals as we move forward. We are delighted with his appointment, and we look forward to a new season with promise and success. We have supported him as a player, and we will do the same with him as our head coach.