Harry Watling is an English football coach. He has coached and managed in four different leagues and in three countries during his time in senior football.These roles included being First team coach at Queens Park Rangers & Glasgow Rangers, while also Managing both Hartford Athletic in the US & Ebbsfleet United in the national league.
Coaching career
Watling earned his UEFA B licence at age 18, UEFA A licence at 26 and his UEFA Pro licence at 33, which at the time made him one of the youngest coaches in England to have such coaching licence’s.[1]
After joining Hartford Athletic on 13 January 2021, he won his first match in charge 3–2 against New York Red Bulls II on 30 April 2021. On 6 June 2021 in his fourth match he broke the club record for the biggest ever win in their history when he beat New York Red Bulls II 7–0 at home who had seven MLS contracted players from the first team in the lineup.[3] Watling broke several club records in his first season in charge of The Athletic, including most goals scored in a regular season and most clean sheets. Hartford finished 5th narrowly missing out on the play offs. On 25 June 2022, Watling resigned from his role as Hartford coach to attend family matters back home in England.[4]
On 25 July 2022, Watling was appointed First Team Development coach at Championship side Queens Park Rangers.[5] After topping the championship with QPR, Watling followed Michael Beale who was head hunted to Glasgow Rangers as first-team coach.[6]
On 12 September 2024, again creating another record of being the youngest manager in the league at the time, Watling was appointed manager of struggling National League club Ebbsfleet United.[7] Watling had an instant impact providing the clubs first win of the season in his first game in charge against Hartlepool United. Despite that, he could not turn the clubs fortunes around in his short time as manager and, on 11 December 2024, and winning only one game out of 13 with 4 draws, the club announced his departure by mutual consent.[8]
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