Andy first joined Glasgow Hawks as a player in 2010/11 and made his welcomed return in 2015 to pull on the Hawks shirt again. As a player, Hilly was a no-nonsense No. 8 who epitomised hard-work, dedication, tenacity and leadership on the pitch and a club-man off the pitch. It was exactly these attributes and the quality of work he did this season as Assistant Coach that confirmed Hill as the ideal candidate for outgoing Head Coach Fin Gillies’ succession plan. The Board wholeheartedly agreed.

Gillies is keen for Hill’s talent to be recognized and allowed to flourish for the benefit of Hawks. Fin says, “I want people to know how good he was this year and how good he will be going forward and I know he has the tools to succeed”.

Hill cites Hawks legendary coach Jimmy Sinclair, Hamilton coaches
Alex Reid and Richard Maxton, another Hawks legend, as inspiring his early coaching development; “coaching was always an avenue I was likely to explore after playing but their dedication to the role and the club was inspiring and it made me want to play for them and I hope I can do the same.“ says Hill.

Hawks’ outgoing Head and Backs coaches – Fin Gillies and Andrew Douglas have also been hugely influential to Hill, “The opportunity to work with guys like Finn and Dougal has been a joy and a privilege. Their attention to detail and rugby knowledge is second to none and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity to work alongside them to help my own development as a coach.”

Club President, Kenny Hamilton, says of Hill, “he has been part of a successful Hawks team in the past and understands winning. His organisational capacity is exceptional as is his willingness to take on work. As Head Coach he will now have the opportunity to extend his management experience and knowledge. We are delighted he is doing that with Glasgow Hawks.”
Andy is an established Hawks club-man who will continue to add immensely to the future growth of Glasgow Hawks. He is an energetic, hard-working and player-centred coach and who has the development of players and success of Glasgow Hawks at heart and in mind. “This is a great appointment by the club” says Stephen Leckey, Club Captain. “In his playing days, Andy had a desire to take the club back to the top of Scottish club rugby, it is exciting that he now gets an opportunity to do this as our Head Coach. The players have enjoyed working with Andy as an assistant coach for the last two seasons and are excited that he is leading us into the 2019-2020 season.”
No resting on his laurels for Hill, says Leckey, “His drive has already been evidenced by the extensive planning that has gone into next season.” He is currently running Glasgow Hawks 7s programme and planning for the forthcoming season; “Our plans for pre-season are well underway already including the training programme, fitness and mental skills development, our squad tour, other friendlies and it also serves to further strengthen our partnerships with Royal Navy, Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, to provide the platform of performance club rugby in Glasgow .“
Details regarding Hill’s assistant and specialist coaches will be announced very soon.