Marc Bircham facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marc Stephen John Bircham | ||
| Date of birth | 11 May 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Wembley, England | ||
| Playing position | Defender / Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Como (assistant) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–2002 | Millwall | 104 | (3) |
| 2002–2007 | Queens Park Rangers | 152 | (7) |
| 2007–2009 | Yeovil Town | 16 | (0) |
| Total | 272 | (10) | |
| National team | |||
| 1999–2004 | Canada | 17 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2009 | Queens Park Rangers (caretaker) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Millwall (assistant) | ||
| 2015 | Chicago Fire (assistant) | ||
| 2016 | Phoenix Rising (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2018 | Queens Park Rangers (assistant) | ||
| 2021 | Waterford | ||
| 2022– | Como (assistant) | ||
|
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Marc Stephen John Bircham, born on May 11, 1978, is a former professional soccer player. He was born in England but played for the Canadian national team. After his playing career, he became a coach. He recently worked as an assistant coach for Como, a club in Italy, but left in 2023.
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Playing for Clubs
Marc Bircham started his professional soccer journey at Millwall in London. He played there for six seasons. After that, he joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in 2002. He quickly became a favorite among the fans.
QPR and His Blue Hair
While playing for QPR, Marc was known for his unique hairstyle. He had a streak of blue and white hair, which were the team's colors. QPR fans even made a song about him, singing: "We love you, Bircham/ because you got blue hair/ We love you, Bircham/ because you're everywhere/ We love you, Bircham/ because you're Rangers through and through."
Moving to Yeovil Town
In 2007, Marc moved to Yeovil Town. He scored his only goal for Yeovil in a match against Brentford in the Football League Trophy. Sadly, a series of ankle injuries during the 2008–09 season forced him to stop playing soccer. After retiring, he planned to start a youth coaching camp in Cyprus.
Playing for His Country
Marc Bircham was able to play for Canada because one of his grandfathers was born in Winnipeg. He played his first game for Canada in April 1999. This friendly match was against Northern Ireland in Belfast.
First Game and Goal
Interestingly, Marc had never visited Canada before playing for their national team! In his very first game, he scored his first and only goal for Canada. This happened just eight minutes after he came onto the field as a substitute.
Overall, Marc played 17 games for Canada. He also represented his adopted country in two FIFA World Cup qualification matches. His last international game was in June 2004 against Belize.
Coaching Career
After his playing days, Marc Bircham moved into coaching.
Coaching at QPR
He started as a youth coach at QPR in 2009. In December 2009, he was put in temporary charge of the first team with fellow youth coach Steve Gallen. This happened when the main manager was suspended. They managed one game, which was a 2–2 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
Managing Waterford
On May 12, 2021, Marc became the manager of Waterford, a team in the League of Ireland Premier Division. When he took over, Waterford was at the bottom of the league. However, he led them to six wins and one draw in his first 12 league games. This helped the club move out of the relegation zone. Because of his success, he was given a new two-and-a-half-year contract in August 2021.
However, on November 23, 2021, Marc was removed from his position at Waterford. He found out about this news on Twitter and was not directly contacted by the club. This happened after a text message exchange with the club owner the night before.
Coaching at Como
In the summer of 2022, Marc joined the Italian club Como as a first-team coach. He worked under manager Giacomo Gattuso. He left the club in 2023.
About Marc's Life
Marc Bircham has three children from a previous marriage: a boy named Frankie and two girls named Layla and Dolly. He often appears on Talksport, a sports radio station, sharing his thoughts on soccer.
