Hull City can confirm that Professional Development Phase Coach Chad Gribble has left the club to become the new assistant manager of Manchester City Women’s Team.
The 35-year-old has linked up with Gareth Taylor’s Citizens in Perth, Australia, as they step up their pre-season preparations ahead of the 2024/25 Women's Super League season.
Gribble joined the Tigers in July 2023, managing the club’s Under-18 side following spells at Exeter City and Doncaster Rovers. In 38 competitive games, he recorded 15 wins and guided the Tigers to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, as well as progressing to the knockout stages of the Professional Development League Cup for the first time, falling to Watford in the quarter-finals.
Speaking on his departure, Gribble said: “I look back at my time with great memories. It was short and sweet, but from day one I felt very settled and very welcomed, and although it was a short period of time, we made a lot of progress.
“When you go into any job, you always want to leave it in a better place than how you found it, and I feel I have been able to do that. There are solid foundations in place for that work to continue so I will always look back with a lot of pride and I have made connections and friendships for life.
“I want to place on record my thanks to all the staff that I worked with, in particular Richard Naylor and Matt Hare. They are fantastic leaders and the perfect balance of a support mechanism for me and the other staff I was responsible for, while giving us the upmost trust to go out and deliver our job.
“I have taken a lot from them in terms of leadership, management, how to have faith and trust in a group of staff and let them build a programme and let it flourish.”
Fellow Development Phase Coach David Meyler will manage the Under-18s on an interim basis.
The former City midfielder was promoted to be Gribble’s assistant at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, with the Under-18s winning both league fixtures so far against Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers. The young Tigers welcome Ipswich Town to Bishop Burton College on Saturday 24 August, kick-off 11am.
Speaking on the departure of Gribble and the interim appointment of Meyler, Academy Manager Richard Naylor said: “We would like to thank Chad for all his work and wish him all the best. He has done a really good job with the Under-18s and we are really pleased with the progress the boys have made and it is a good opportunity for Chad. I feel like we helped Chad develop over his time with us and, likewise, we feel he brought something to our programme to improve us. We are disappointed to see him go, but it is a good opportunity for him and we wish him all the best.
“Having David work alongside Chad for the last few months leaves us in a really strong position in terms of progression. We know the programme is going to continue as it was, and David has learned a lot from Chad. Keeping David in with the Under-18s will make it a seamless transition.”
The club would like to thank Chad for all his efforts with the club and wish him well for his future career at Manchester City.
