Mark Briggs promoted to Real Monarchs head coach

One day after parent club Real Salt Lake promoted Mike Petke to be their new head coach, Real Monarchs have their man: Mark Briggs, former Wilmington Hammerheads coach and Monarchs assistant.

Briggs, 35, had a career that spanned English and Welsh non-league sides, but he got his start at West Bromwich Albion as a youth. He later ended up coming to the United States and playing at Wilmington Hammerheads in two separate spells before taking over as coach in October 2015.

Having been hired as an assistant to now-RSL assistant coach Freddy Juarez, Briggs was the organization’s second choice behind Mike Petke to lead Real Monarchs.

Briggs’ staff will consist of Matt Glaeser and Jamison Olave, both of whom were assistants under Petke as well. A search for another assistant will take place.

Press release quotes

Mark Briggs, Real Monarchs coach

I am thankful for this opportunity to lead such a critical piece of the Real Salt Lake pyramid. The aspiration, vision and culture of this organization is unparalleled, and I can’t wait for our home debut on Saturday.

Our 2017 Monarchs plans have been two-fold for the last several months. While the end goal is to develop MLS-caliber players, an important part of development is winning. Finding success on the field goes hand-in-hand with our philosophy of winning in the USL while simultaneously teaching young players how to become more-polished professionals.”

Elliott Fall, Real Monarchs general manager

Mark’s appointment is reflective of the natural progression of what the Monarchs represent within our club structure. Briggs possesses an intimate understanding of how we balance our developmental philosophy of giving players vital minutes in a professional atmosphere, with that of winning games, entertaining fans and feeding Utah’s soccer culture.”