Mike Mulvey is an Australian-English football manager, who is currently the Technical Director of Western Pride FC. He had previously been in charge of clubs in Australia, Thailand and Malaysia. In February 2015, he was appointed as a Technical Director for Sabah FA before becoming the head coach for the club in April. Mulvey moved on to become Technical Director at Malaysian Premier League club Terengganu in July 2016, before being installed as caretaker manager. He left the club at the end of the season. Mulvey is best known for his coaching performance in 2013-14, when he took Brisbane Roar to their record-breaking third A-League title. He was named A-League Coach of the Year in the same season - just 12 months after being named W-League Coach of the Year. In December 2014, he was named as the Queensland's Coach of the Year at the annual state coaching awards. Just three months after arriving in Thailand, Mulvey was voted to take charge of the Thai League 1 All-Stars for their match against the Thailand national team at the Bannayinda Stadium in August 2017. The match finished in a 3-3 draw. He returned to Australia to take charge of the Central Coast Mariners for the 2018-2019 season, but was sacked after 21 games in the regular season after the Mariners were beaten by Wellington Phoenix 8-2.
Mulvey was the assistant coach at former A-League club Gold Coast United. On 20 February 2012, it was announced Mulvey had been appointed caretaker coach of Gold Coast, after Head Coach Miron Bleiberg left. After the club dissolved, he joined Melbourne Victory as the women's team coach. Mulvey transformed the team into W-League championship contenders, sparking interest from A-League clubs. In December 2012, Mulvey was appointed Head Coach at Brisbane Roar Football Club on an interim basis. In February 2013, Mulvey was appointed as the permanent Head Coach at the club. Following his appointment, Brisbane Roar only lost one of their remaining seven regular season matches. He went on to take the Roar to the semifinals in the Hyundai A-league's 2012/13 season, losing 2–1 to Premier's Plate winners Western Sydney Wanderers in the preliminary final. The following season, 2013/14, Mulvey took the Roar to winning their second Premier's Plate and third A-League Championship in four years. Mulvey's Roar won the Premier's Plate by 10 points, the second largest margin in the history of the A-League. The team then went on to beat Melbourne Victory 1–0 in the semi final and then beating the Western Sydney Wanderers 2–1 after extra time in the Grand Final to win the 2013/2014 A-League Championship. On 23 November 2014, Mulvey was sacked from his position as manager of the Brisbane Roar after a series of defeats Despite the successful 2013–14 season, Brisbane Roar managed only one win out of 6 games at the beginning of the 2014–15 season and on 23 November 2014, Mulvey stepped down from the role of head coach. In February 2015, Mulvey was appointed as a Technical Director for Sabah FA, before officially become the head coach for the club in less than a month. In April 2018, Mulvey was announced as the new head coach of the Central Coast Mariners, replacing Paul Okon. In March 2019, he parted ways with the club. In October 2019, Mulvey became Technical Director for Western Pride FC.
Coaching style
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2014, Mulvey's Roar side was lauded for playing "the most tactically savvy and technically proficient football of the year". Mulvey said his ideal tactical style embraced a flexible system designed to keep possession with a pro-active, high-tempo style: “I don't like seeing long-ball. I'll switch the television off if someone starts with that stuff. My teams play football the way I like it played – you keep possession, you pass, you attack.”
