The 47-year-old was an assistant coach at St Kilda before moving to Richmond where he was involved in the 2019 and 2020 premiership campaigns.
Sources said Melbourne assistant coachAdem Yze was slightly ahead in the Giants thinking until final presentations last week,when Kingsley turned their heads with an impressive final display. A Giants source said Kingsley continued to impress them more each time they met with him.
Caretaker coach Mark McVeigh was the third of the coaches in the short list for the job. The Giants are keen for McVeigh to stay on at the club as an assistant and Kingsley is reported to be open to the idea.
It is uncertain where other assistants such as Dean Solomon stand. Solomon was reportedly approached in recent weeks by his former club Essendon about returning to a role in their football department.
Kingsley was chosen by the panel of Giants chairman Tony Shepherd,football director Jimmy Bartel,CEO Dave Matthews,football GM Jason McCartney.
“I’ve been clear in my aspirations to become a senior coach and over the last 16 years I’ve continued to learn and develop to the point now where I’m absolutely ready to take the next step in my coaching career,” Kingsley said.