David Gough serves as the assistant coach and will help with individual player development plans, scouting, and community development.
He has attained extensive soccer coaching experience in Europe, most notably helping lead the English Women’s National Team to a record bronze medal finish at the FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup as a key part of the team’s technical staff.
Gough has worked in 17 different countries on three separate continents and has served on the Welsh FA and UEFA in coaching development as well the Football Association (The FA). Gough also worked for Cardiff City in the youth academy during their time in the EPL.
He remains an integral part of the England Women’s National Team Technical Staff as assistant coach to Mark Sampson.
Gough will be traveling to the UEFA European Championship Finals in Holland on July as England attempts to improve on the Lioness legacy and win gold at a major soccer tournament for the first time ever.
“To add someone with Goughy’s experience to our staff is really exciting,” Hale said. “He has worked at the highest levels in women’s soccer and brings a demeanor and knowledge that will challenge and benefit our players. He brings a depth to scouting and individual player development that will help us take the program to the next level. Our goals of winning the SEC and a National Championship just got a whole lot closer!”
Gough currently serves as the Sporting Arkansas soccer club’s Technical Director, where he was tasked with the holistic development and mentoring of all players, creating long-term plans and developing player improvement pathways, maintaining national and international partnership links, as well as recruitment and retention of players from across the state.
He also served as head coach of the University of South Wales’ men’s soccer program from 2012-14, guiding the team to a second-place finish in the BUCS Premier Division, the top university soccer league in the United Kingdom. During that period, Gough also led the Wales University soccer team to a silver medal performance at the 2012 British University Games.
“I came to the U.S. to try and achieve another dream in soccer and in joining the Razorbacks staff, I have done that. I look forward to getting started in a program with such passion and potential. What Coach Hale and his staff have done here in recent years is exceptional and I hope to play my part in the years to come. For a long time, people have said Arkansas just doesn’t have high level soccer. Well, my deepest motivation is to help change that mindset for every young girl in Arkansas. One of the ways we can do that here is to win a national championship.”
A native of Abertridwr, South Wales, Gough graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2005 with a BSc Hons Degree in sport development and again from the University of South Wales with a MSc in Performance Coaching in 2013.
He is also a qualified teacher, having completed a P.G.C.E and served for three years as a lecturer on the Football Coaching and Performance degree program at the University of South Wales.
