Greig makes the step-up from assistant coach to replace Dan Ryan, who has been appointed Adelaide Thunderbirds head coach.
It is a proud moment for Greig who has been involved with the Black and Yellows since joining the club as a player in the Super Cup back in 2002.
The former England shooter will take up her new role following the conclusion of the England u21 tour to Jamaica, which begins this weekend.
Greig, who has also worked as assistant to Tracey Neville at Thunder and later at last year’s World Cup in Sydney for England, said: “It’s a really proud moment for me. When the opportunity came up it was just something I couldn’t turn down. Thunder is in my blood and accepting this position means that I can continue to build on the successes since its resurrection over the past eight years. I have both played and coached with the coaches before me and I am keen to build and develop the legacies they have left. I am hoping to bring together the best of before and put my own spin on things. I am a very competitive and driven person and coach. I hate losing and will ensure I integrate my values into the Thunder way moving forwards.”
This is a huge step for Greig but one that she is prepared for, due to her vast experience both playing and coaching at the top level of English netball. Looking ahead to the 2017 season, which sees three new franchises join the Superleague, Greig is expecting plenty of changes and new faces coming in. But she is also determined to retain key members of the 2016 squad, “Next season is a bit like going into the unknown with all the off season changes that have taken place,” she said, “No one really knows who will be playing at what franchise yet as there is bound to be a lot of movement with the new league in Australia and the limiting squad numbers in NSL. But we will be preparing in the off season in the Thunder way and I’m keen to rekindle the Thunder squad of previous seasons.”
Greig, who is yet to confirm her coaching support team, has a identified number of import targets she would like to bring in, but admits it is too early to start recruiting due to the likelihood some current players could be tempted by a move to an Australian team. Debbie Hallas, managing director of Manchester Thunder said: “Karen is Thunder through and through and I had no hesitation in making the call following Dan Ryan’s resignation. Karen has done the ground work under two great coaches and it’s now her turn to step into the spotlight and show what she can do. We believe she has the coaching qualities to lead Thunder to more success next season and beyond. With the new player pathway under development there is no-one better to oversee the implementation and offer us stability and a bright future.There is plenty of work still to do in the off-season but we are delighted our new head coach is in place to lead us into a new, exciting Superleague.”