Roy Hodgson CBE
Cert Ed, 1972 | Hon Doctorate, 2019
FOOTBALL MANAGER
“I owe Avery Hill an enormous debt… they have taught me certain principles which have stayed with me throughout my football coaching life.”
Until May 2021, Roy Hodgson was the current manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. This was a homecoming for Croydon-born Roy who used to watch the club from the Selhurst Park stands as a young boy.
Before becoming one of the most recognisable faces in English football management, Roy was a student at Avery Hill College, a predecessor of the University of Greenwich. He completed his Cert Ed, with emphasis on PE, in 1972. Reflecting on his studies, Roy said “when I went to the College it was mainly due to the obsession I had with football and I thought if they take me on and teach me to teach other people physical education, it will be the closest I might get to following my dream of working professionally in the game”.
After Avery Hill, Roy first job was at Alleyn’s School in Dulwich but his time there was cut short by an offer to go and play football in South Africa which meant there was a gap between his first teaching term at Alleyn’s and the year teaching at 2 different schools in the Croydon area before his dream of becoming a football manager took its first steps in 1976 at Swedish side Halmstad. Spells at Bristol City, IK Oddevold and Örebro SK, whom he lead to the 2nd division championship followed, before Roy took Malmo to five straight Swedish league championships from 1985 to 1989. He is still held in high esteem in Sweden where a corner of Malmo’s stadium is unofficially called “Roy’s Hörna” (Roy’s Corner) by fans in recognition of his achievements at the club.
A spell at Swiss club Neuchâtel Xamax followed between 1990 and 1992, before Roy took on the role as Switzerland national team manager, reaching the last-16 of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and qualifying for the Euro ‘96 finals in England. Switzerland were ranked as high as third in the FIFA World Rankings during Roy’s time in charge.
Roy left Switzerland before Euro ‘96 to become manager at Italian giants Inter Milan, whom he took from the relegation zone to the EUFA Cup final in his second season. He subsequently worked at Blackburn Rovers before returning to the continent where another two high profile jobs awaited in the shape of national team manager at first for the UAE and then for Finland before returning again and taking over at Fulham in 2008, guiding them to their highest Premier League finish of seventh in 2009 and the 2010 Europa League final. He was named League Managers Association Manager of the Year that same year.
Spells at Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion followed before Roy was invited to become manager of the England national team in 2012. During this spell England climbed to third in the world rankings, reached the quarter finals of Euro 2012 and qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2016.
Roy returned to the university in 2019 to receive an Honorary Doctorate. Upon receiving his award, Roy acknowledged that he had come full circle from his days studying and coaching the football team at Avery Hill College. “It was Avery Hill that endorsed the teaching principles required to become a good coach, because what is a good coach really other than someone who has got a pretty good grip of teaching principles?”
Roy was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 2021 in recognition for his services to football. In January 2022 he was appointed as manager of Watford Football Club.
Roy Hodgson CBE
Cert Ed, 1972 | Hon Doctorate, 2019
FOOTBALL MANAGER
“I owe Avery Hill an enormous debt… they have taught me certain principles which have stayed with me throughout my football coaching life.”
Until May 2021, Roy Hodgson was the current manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. This was a homecoming for Croydon-born Roy who used to watch the club from the Selhurst Park stands as a young boy.
Before becoming one of the most recognisable faces in English football management, Roy was a student at Avery Hill College, a predecessor of the University of Greenwich. He completed his Cert Ed, with emphasis on PE, in 1972. Reflecting on his studies, Roy said “when I went to the College it was mainly due to the obsession I had with football and I thought if they take me on and teach me to teach other people physical education, it will be the closest I might get to following my dream of working professionally in the game”.
After Avery Hill, Roy first job was at Alleyn’s School in Dulwich but his time there was cut short by an offer to go and play football in South Africa which meant there was a gap between his first teaching term at Alleyn’s and the year teaching at 2 different schools in the Croydon area before his dream of becoming a football manager took its first steps in 1976 at Swedish side Halmstad. Spells at Bristol City, IK Oddevold and Örebro SK, whom he lead to the 2nd division championship followed, before Roy took Malmo to five straight Swedish league championships from 1985 to 1989. He is still held in high esteem in Sweden where a corner of Malmo’s stadium is unofficially called “Roy’s Hörna” (Roy’s Corner) by fans in recognition of his achievements at the club.
A spell at Swiss club Neuchâtel Xamax followed between 1990 and 1992, before Roy took on the role as Switzerland national team manager, reaching the last-16 of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and qualifying for the Euro ‘96 finals in England. Switzerland were ranked as high as third in the FIFA World Rankings during Roy’s time in charge.
Roy left Switzerland before Euro ‘96 to become manager at Italian giants Inter Milan, whom he took from the relegation zone to the EUFA Cup final in his second season. He subsequently worked at Blackburn Rovers before returning to the continent where another two high profile jobs awaited in the shape of national team manager at first for the UAE and then for Finland before returning again and taking over at Fulham in 2008, guiding them to their highest Premier League finish of seventh in 2009 and the 2010 Europa League final. He was named League Managers Association Manager of the Year that same year.
Spells at Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion followed before Roy was invited to become manager of the England national team in 2012. During this spell England climbed to third in the world rankings, reached the quarter finals of Euro 2012 and qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2016.
Roy returned to the university in 2019 to receive an Honorary Doctorate. Upon receiving his award, Roy acknowledged that he had come full circle from his days studying and coaching the football team at Avery Hill College. “It was Avery Hill that endorsed the teaching principles required to become a good coach, because what is a good coach really other than someone who has got a pretty good grip of teaching principles?”
Roy was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 2021 in recognition for his services to football. In January 2022 he was appointed as manager of Watford Football Club.
