| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert James Dazo Gier | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-01-06)6 January 1981 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Ascot, England | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Philippines U22 (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ascot United | |||
| Wimbledon | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2004 | Wimbledon | 71 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Rushden & Diamonds | 67 | (2) |
| 2006–2007 | Cambridge United | 17 | (0) |
| 2007 | Woking | 7 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Aldershot Town | 38 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Grays Athletic | 18 | (0) |
| 2009–2016 | Ascot United | ||
| International career | |||
| 2009–2015 | Philippines | 66 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016–2018 | Oxford University Women's | ||
| 2018–2023 | Reading F.C. Women (academy manager) | ||
| 2023– | Philippines U22 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert James Dazo Gier (born 6 January 1981) is afootballcoach and former player who is the head coach of thePhilippines U22 team. As a player, he was mainly acentre-back.
Born in England, he progressed through the youth system ofWimbledon, making his debut in theFootball League First Division in October 2000 and played untiltheir final season. He then played forLeague Two clubRushden & Diamonds until their relegation in 2006. He then played in theConference National forCambridge United,Woking, andAldershot Town with whom he won the2007–08 Conference Premier title andConference League Cup. After a brief spell withGrays Athletic, he spent the remainder of his career with his hometown clubAscot United in theHellenic Football League.
Eligible to represent thePhilippines national team through his mother, Gier made his international debut in 2009. Hecaptained the Philippines in the2012 and2014 AFF Championships.
Rob Gier was born to Robert Gier and Rosario and grew up inAscot, England. Upon coming from work, Rob's father would often bring him to football training. His mother, Rosario is aWaray fromTacloban,Leyte.[1]
Gier began his career atWimbledon, who had been relegated from thePremiership in1999–00 season. He made his debut the following season, starting a 0–0 home draw withSheffield United on 28 October 2000.[citation needed]
In 2004, he joinedRushden & Diamonds,[2] and was part of the side that was relegated from theFootball League in2005–06. He left the club following their relegation, and had spells in the Conference withCambridge United,[3] andWoking during the2006–07 season.[citation needed]
He joinedAldershot Town at the start of the2007–08 season,[4] and was part of the side that won the Conference with a record points total. He made 38 league appearances for the club, all starts, but despite this was released at the end of the campaign.[5]
On 22 May 2008,Grays Athletic announced they had signed Gier on a one-year contract,[6] however, he wastransfer listed by the club in January 2009, with financial pressures and managerWayne Burnett's plans being cited as the reason.[7]
Gier joinedHellenic League Premier Division clubAscot United in November 2009, after being released at the end of the previous season by Grays Athletic.[8] He announced his retirement in February 2016.[9]
Gier was called up to thePhilippines national team in March 2009, for the2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in April, where they were due to face,Turkmenistan,Bhutan and theMaldives.[10] He made his international debut in2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification match against Bhutan on 14 April 2009 and also played against Maldives and Turkmenistan.[1]
On 10 September 2012 Gier scored his first international goal for the Philippines in a 2–1 loss to Laos,[11] however it was not aFIFA-sanctioned match. FIFA did not recognize the match's results after it was found out that the referees who officiated the match were not recognized by the world sporting body.[12]
He scored his first official international goal for the Philippines in the2014 Philippine Peace Cup againstChinese Taipei.[13]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 3 September 2014 | Rizal Memorial Stadium,Manila |  Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2014 Philippine Peace Cup[13] |
| 2. | 25 November 2014 | Mỹ Đình National Stadium,Hanoi |  Indonesia | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup |
On 17 February 2016 Gier announced his retirement from playing competitive football at the age of 35.[14] Gier is set to focus on operating Zenith Soccer Tours and spending more time with his family.[15]
Earlier in 2014,[16] Gier established Zenith Soccer Tours, a youth football program in theUnited Kingdom. The idea was concepted by Gier, after he met with the Philippine national youth team who had a three-week training camp in the UK in 2013.[17]
In November 2016, Gier was appointed as head coach of thewomen's football team of theUniversity of Oxford.[18] He served in this role until May 2018.
Gier obtained a UEFA A coaching licence by September 2017. While still playing for the national team and Ascot United, he began finishing a two-year course to obtain the UEFA A coaching licence. He plans to coach in the United Kingdom while working for aUEFA Pro Licence that would make him eligible to coach in theFA Premier League and UEFA competitions. He has expressed his openness to coach for the Philippine national team.[19]
In 2017, Gier began working withReading F.C. Women as its women's development coach.[19] He was eventually promoted as the Reading F.C. Women academy manager in July 2018.[20]
In March 2023, thePhilippine Football Federation announced that Rob Gier was appointed as the new head coach ofPhilippines U22.[21][22][23]
Gier is married and has two children. His family resides in England.[15]
