London City Lionesses have announced Melissa Phillips as the new head coach at the FA Championship club. 

She had been in caretaker charge of the senior team and led the side to their first victory of the 2020 season against London Bees.

Phillips said: "I am incredibly humbled by the opportunity to lead the London City Lionesses First Team in a greater capacity. 

"For me, leadership isn’t a matter of your title but rather the impact and influence you have on an organisation. 

“My role since joining London City has been to help drive the vision, values and ambitions of the club forward.

"I have so much respect and appreciation for the players continued commitment to the club’s ambitions; they are truly a resilient group and growing each day together. 

“My aim is to create an environment that each player thrives in, focused on holistic player development and elevating our current culture and football philosophy.”

She joined in the summer from the University of Pennsylvania’s coaching programme in the US where she was the Women’s Team Assistant Coach for five years. 

Chairwoman Diane Culligan added: “Mel has been excellent in every aspect since she joined us, so the decision to promote her to Head Coach was a very easy one. 

“Mel was one of the US’ most highly-regarded young coaches and, in time, we are confident that she will become one of the UK’s top managers.”