Gareth Ainsworth

Gareth Ainsworth was born on May 10, 1973, in Blackburn, Lancashire. He started his football career as a trainee with Blackburn Rovers. After his release from Blackburn, he joined Northwich Victoria in the Football Conference, scoring his first goal in October 1991. His performance led him to Preston North End in January 1992, and later to Cambridge United. He returned to Preston in 1993, playing a significant role in their Third Division play-off final appearance in 1994. In 1995, he moved to Lincoln City for £25,000, where he was named on the PFA Third Division Team of the Year in 1996–97 after scoring 22 goals. He also received the club’s Player of the Year award for both the 1995–96 and 1996–97 campaigns. In 1997, he joined Port Vale for a club record fee of £500,000 and was named their Player of the Year in 1998.

His career then progressed to Premier League club Wimbledon in November 1998 for £2 million. His time at Wimbledon was marked by injuries. Following loan spells at Preston and Walsall, he moved to Cardiff City in March 2003, contributing to their promotion to the First Division. In July 2003, Ainsworth signed with Queens Park Rangers (QPR), where he spent seven years, helping them achieve promotion to the First Division in the 2003–04 season. During his tenure at QPR, he also served twice as caretaker manager. In 2009, he joined Wycombe Wanderers, initially on loan, before signing an 18-month contract. He was named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year in 2010–11 as Wycombe secured promotion. He transitioned to management in November 2012, leading Wycombe to promotion from League Two in 2017–18 and then from League One in 2020, reaching the Championship for the first time in the club’s history.

Ainsworth was appointed head coach of QPR in February 2023, where he remained for eight months. He then joined Shrewsbury Town in November 2024 and subsequently became the manager of Gillingham on March 25, 2025. He was named League Two Manager of the Month for August 2025 after Gillingham’s strong start to the season. On September 28, 2025, it was announced that he would undergo heart surgery, a condition identified during a routine LMA health check in May.