Perry McLachlan has ended a big year of growth in his coaching career with an exciting appointment as Women’s Head Coach at top Icelandic club KR Reykjavik.

The forward-thinking English coach and Football Careers client landed his UEFA A Licence this year in a busy 12 months that also saw him operating in the Best Deild Kvenna, Iceland’s top female league, in charge of KA.

Former Chelsea Academy coach Perry kept a young and inexperienced squad in the top flight in a campaign of learning and now next term he will face a new challenge. Powerhouse club KR’s women’s team slipped out of the top division last season and now McLachlan is charged with not only restoring top-flight status but bringing staibility and vision to the way ahead.

Perry, who also built his knowledge in the game with a two-year stint as Director of Coaching with UK Premier Soccer in North Carolina in the States, has flourished in Iceland since first testing himself there in 2019. He reflected:

“In my biased opinion, working full-time in football is the best job in the world. It was unfortunate that my time at KA came to an end after a year as Head Coach. That was sooner than planned but there were so many learning experiences to be taken from last season.

“Now the next challenge is at KR and I see this as a time to try and repackage the women’s program at the club. This is a huge club with a great history that is going through a transitional phase in our program.

“The target can’t be just to go up back into the top league but to be patient and build a team that is ready to go up and stay up.”

Education and growth are key facets of Perry’s journey as a coach. He holds an MSc in Performance Football Coaching from St Mary’s University in Twickenham and will look to promote that to a Masters in 2023.

Perry admits he will draw on the experience of last season when the next one kicks off with KR. He stressed:

“My work at KA gave me a very clear indication of how I see things should be done on and off the field. With that being said it was a season to be proud of from a personal point of view.

“I was one of the youngest head coaches in the league with one of the youngest squads. We ended up in a relegation battle and to see them at their lowest but have the resilience to perform and deliver when it mattered most was great.

“Now I want to apply those lessons to getting things right at KR both on and off the field and making this a great place for young Icelandic players to come and play.”