Olympic Kingsway turn to Socceroo pedigree for their next era

Olympic Kingsway have turned to former Socceroo Neil Kilkenny to lead the club into their next chapter, appointing the ex-A-League and English football veteran as coach for the 2027 NPL WA season.

Garcia will remain in charge for the remainder of the season before continuing his work with Olympic as technical director.

For Kilkenny, the appointment represents another significant step in his transition from an accomplished playing career into coaching.

Kilkenny spent more than a decade playing in England, representing clubs including Birmingham City, Leeds United, Bristol City and Preston North End before returning to Australia.

He later became a prominent figure in the A-League with Melbourne City and Perth Glory before winning the league at Western United, while he also represented Australia at senior international level.

Since hanging up the boots, the 40-year-old has remained involved in Western Australian football and joined Olympic's coaching setup during the current campaign.

Now, he has been handed the responsibility of leading one of NPL WA's leading clubs.

Olympic president Steven Nelkovski said Kilkenny had already made an impression during his short time working alongside Garcia.

“Neil has impressed alongside Richard, improving standards and the development of our players,” Nelkovski said.

“Neil has a clear vision of what he expects from the team and his style of play.”