Brentford confirm landmark appointment of Lydia Bedford as head coach of their Under-18 men’s side
Lydia Bedford takes on one of the most senior coaching roles ever held by woman at a Premier League club after Brentford confirm the ex-Leicester City women’s manager will take charge of their Under-18 men’s side
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Brentford have confirmed the appointment of former Leicester City women’s team manager Lydia Bedford as the new head coach of their Under-18s side in a landmark moment for women coaching within the men’s game.
Bedford will be taking on one of the most senior coaching roles ever held by a woman at a men’s Premier League club.
She will work alongside Jon-Paul Pittman, who will join as assistant coach from Forest Green Rovers.
In 2021-22 Bedford guided Leicester to safety after joining with the club bottom of the Women’s Super League.
Her most recent role was at Arsenal where she served as an assistant coach for the WSL side this season.
Brentford Under-18 head coach Lydia Bedford will work alongside Jon-Paul Pittman
Bedford has joined the club from Arsenal Women, where she held the role of assistant coach
‘[We’re] really pleased that we’ve managed to attract such talented coaches as Lydia and Jon-Paul to our under-18 team for next year,’ Brentford said in a statement.
‘We undertook an extensive recruitment process for these roles. Lydia and Jon-Paul were the two best candidates. I’m sure they will excel, and we all look forward to working with them through pre-season and beyond.’
The appointment follows former England international Karen Carney claiming it was only a matter of time before we had a women manager in the Premier League.
But Carney insisted any female coach would need huge commitment from the club that hires her to protect against the inevitable misogyny and abuse.
No female coach has ever managed a men’s professional side in England and, even at youth level, women in coaching roles of this nature at elite men’s clubs have been extremely rare.
Karen Carney (C) believes it’s inevitable that a women will manage in the Premier League
Bedford began coaching in 2008 and earned her UEFA Pro Licence in 2019.
She has risen through the ranks of women’s football to become one of the most highly rated, progressive young coaches in the game.
She went on to manage Leicester in the women’s top flight for just under 12 months but was sacked in November 2022 after a losing start to the season.
Her replacement at the East Midlands side, Willie Kirk, oversaw Leicester’s survival on the final day of the campaign.
