| Title: | Women's Head Soccer Coach |
| Phone: | 678-466-4684 |
| Email: | garethosullivan@clayton.edu |
| College: | Memphis '92 |
A native of Ballina, Ireland, O’Sullivan was hired at Clayton State in February of 2011 after most recently serving as the head coach of the Atlanta Beat of the WPS (Women’s Professional Soccer) in 2009 and 2010.
While at the Atlanta Beat, O’Sullivan coached USA National team players, Hope Solo, Tobin Heath, Lori Chalupny & Angie Kerr; also present were many top international players, including Japan’s captain Aya Miyami, 2008 Hermann Winner Mami Yamaguchi, England’s Eniola Aluko and current Damallsvenskan stars Johanna Rasmussen of Denmark and Ramona Bachmann of Switzerland.
Before coming to the Beat O’Sullivan was a professional
head coach in the Icelandic Premier League for three seasons.
However, it’s at the NCAA Division II level where
O’Sullivan has made his mark, serving as head coach at
Christian Brothers, West Georgia and now Clayton State.
O’Sullivan was head coach for both the men’s and
women’s teams at Christian Brothers from 1997 to 2003. He
posted a record of 87-19-3 with the Christian Brothers women,
leading the Lady Bucs to three straight Gulf South Conference
championships, an NCAA Division II national runner-up finish in
2001 and the NCAA Division II national championship in 2002.
As the men’s head coach, O’Sullivan went 61-49, leading
the Bucs to the 2000 Gulf South Conference championship and
advancing to the NCAA Division II "Sweet 16."
From Christian Brothers, O’Sullivan started the women’s
program at West Georgia. After the inaugural season in 2004, he
helped pace the Wolves to a 13-7-1 mark in 2005, advancing to the
Gulf South Conference Tournament semifinals. Overall,
O’Sullivan has a 193-96-16 record at the NCAA Division II
level, including 124-40-9 as a women’s head coach.
He was a three-time Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year
selection. While at Christian Brothers, O’Sullivan coached
three Division II All-Americans, including two-time Division II
National Player of the Year Missy Gregg.
Throughout his soccer coaching career, Gareth O’Sullivan
has built a strong reputation when it comes to developing teams
into championship-caliber programs. He proved that with an NCAA
Division II National Championship at Christian Brothers and is
already bringing that same desire to the Clayton State Laker
women’s soccer program.
After two seasons, Clayton State women's soccer is well on its way
to championship stardom under the watchful eyes of O'Sullivan.
Taking over a Laker program that had recorded only 11 victories
combined in its three previous seasons, O'Sullivan has led the team
to back-to-back winning seasons. In the process, the Lakers have
boasted seven All-Peach Belt Conference and two All-Region
selections in the last two years.
Prior to his first head coaching position, O’Sullivan played in the League of Ireland Premier Division with Sligo Rovers. He also had stints in the USISL, A-League and CISL. He also spent time training with Swedish teams IFK Goteborg & GAIS and 1992 English Premier League team Coventry City.
Playing Experience:
- 1989-1992 University of Memphis –NCAA I
- 1993 Memphis Express --USISL
- 1994-1995 New Orleans Gamblers --A-League
- 1996-1997 Sligo Rovers –League of Ireland Premier Division
- 1997 Indiana Twisters –CISL
Coaching Experience:
- 1997-2003 Christian Brothers University –NCAA II (Men & Women)
- 2003-2006 University of West Georgia –NCAA II (Women)
- 2006 Memphis Mojos –AISL Pro (Men)
- 2006-2008 Afturelding –Iceland Premier League (Women)
- 2008-2009 KR –Iceland Premier League (Women)
- 2009-2010 Atlanta Beat –WPS (Women’s Pro soccer)
- 2011- Clayton State University –NCAA II (Women)
O'Sullivan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Memphis in 1992, where he played collegiately for the Tigers. He and his wife, Anna, are proud parents of two sons - Liam and Tomas.

