Matt Beard Takes Burnley Women Pro 👊 A WSL Legend in Tier 3?

Published on 23 June 2025 at 16:59

Former Liverpool and Chelsea women's manager Matt Beard has been named head coach of Burnley women in the third tier.

Back in February, he was sacked from the Liverpool job.

He joins Burnley to oversee the club's new period, when it will go entirely professional next season.

Beard said: "I'm delighted. I'm so impressed with everybody I've met at the club and the conversations I've had. I'm looking forward to getting started.

“Everybody's been so welcoming and [head of women's football] Lola Ogunbote has been a big part of that.

"I can promise the fan base, the players and the staff that I will work as hard as I can for them, to fulfil our objectives."

The manager led Liverpool to back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014, and in his second spell at the Merseyside club, he won the Women’s Championship title in 2022.

He has also managed the Boston Breakers in the NWSL, West Ham, and was in charge of Bristol City on an interim basis.

He comes in after they were without a permanent head coach since Rebecca Sawiuk left with mutual consent in March.

When at Chelsea, he led them to the FA Cup final in 2012 and West Ham to the 2019 final.

Burnley finished fourth in the northern region of the third tier last term.

They have ambitions for promotion, and last month the chair, Alan Pace, said: “It’s important that we now provide the resources required to go full-time and give those involved the opportunity to progress to the next level. We see both the men’s and women’s teams as important now and forever, and this move aims to accelerate women's development.”

Last season, some players were on full-time terms, and others combined training with education or day jobs. Still, they are expected to receive a significant increase in their operating budget.

Burnley applied to fill the WSL 2 vacancy when Blackburn withdrew last month, but those leagues' officials gave Sheffield United a reprieve from relegation instead of promoting Burnley.


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