Drew Courtney is headed back to familiarity.
The Bryan College men's soccer coach, who played for the Chattanooga Football Club for three seasons, recently was named the head coach for the CFC women.
The former Chattanooga Christian and Lander University standout played for the CFC men's club from 2009 to 2011, the program's first three seasons. He's bounced around the coaching ranks since, most recently linking up with the Lions and leading them to the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season championship in 2015.
"I'm excited to be on board," Courtney said Monday. "Coming on late, it's going to be a challenge to bring the pieces in place, but I'm confident in who we've brought in. The players are unified, which will lead to success on the field."
Bryan women's head coach Paul Babba will be his assistant, with Courtney looking to add a goalkeeper coach soon.
The women's season begins on May 14 with a home match against Alabama FC. Courtney said the 2016 club will have a few local players on it and specifically named former Soddy-Daisy and current Lee University standout Summer Lanter, as well as Jaime Cooper, who prepped at Notre Dame before playing at Middle Tennessee State.
He said it was important, to compete on a national level, to have a mix of top-level area players as well as standouts from outreaching areas.
"Having Courtney as the head coach for the CFC women is a great benefit," CFC general manager Sean McDaniel said in a release. "Not only does he bleed the CFC colors, but his leadership both on and off the field are invaluable to our club and the larger community. I couldn't be more pleased, and I know Courtney will be successful."
The women's club hovered around the .500 mark in its first season in 2014 but slipped some last year due to some youth. Courtney's goals in his first season are to be competitive and build to greater success.
"We want to win the conference championship and advance past the first round in the national tournament," he said. "I'd also love to grow our brand in the city."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.