Denise Reddy is the new assistant coach of the Washington Spirit.
Denise Reddy is the new assistant coach of the Washington Spirit, joining Jim Gabarra’s staff.
Reddy, a New Jersey native, is a familiar name to American soccer fans. She previously served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Red Stars in WPS in 2009 and 2010 and she was involved with Jersey Sky Blue from 2006-2008 in the now defunct USL W-League.
Most recently, Reddy served as head coach of Vittsjö GIK in Sweden since January 2015. She was previously head coach of B93/HIK/Skjold in Denmark and of Linköping FC in Sweden.
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What makes Reddy’s move even more interesting is that Sky Blue FC — still without a coach exactly one week before the NWSL College Draft and three months after the departure of Gabarra — had looked into Reddy for its head-coaching vacancy. It’s unclear how serious that was or how things played out, but it’s also unclear as to why Sky Blue still doesn’t have a coach.
From 1995-2005, Reddy played center back for Malmö FF in Sweden, reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2004. She played college soccer for Rutgers University, where she was a four year starter and an NSCAA All-American.
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining the Washington Spirit organization,” Reddy said in a statement. “The Spirit is an extremely professional organization with a great outreach and connection to the community. Jim Gabarra is one of the most experienced coaches in the league, and I am really looking forward to working with him. I will look to help strengthen an already established team with my qualities and experience from both the US and abroad.”
