Matt Beard has been appointed as the new Burnley women’s manager.
The 47-year old arrives in the north west as one of the most respected managers in the women’s game and with extensive experience.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” Beard said on his appointment. “I’m so impressed with everybody I’ve met at the Club and the conversations I’ve had, and I’m looking forward to getting started. Everybody’s been so welcoming and Lola (Ogunbote – Head of Women’s Football) 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, with the aim of fulfilling our objectives.”
Beard began his head coaching career at Millwall Lionesses in 2008 and has never looked back. After leading Millwall to the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division title, he joined Chelsea for three years where he guided the Blues to an FA Cup Final.
Liverpool came calling in 2013 and a period of unprecedented success followed for both him and the club with back-to-back WSL title wins. They also competed in the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the first time. He then moved to the USA to join the Boston Breakers before coming back to England to take on the manager role at West Ham.
He returned to Liverpool in 2021 where he once again enjoyed success. Under his stewardship, the club won the Barclays Championship in 2022 and secured promotion back to the top tier of English football. He would go on to help his side finish fourth in their second year back. A disappointing start to the 2024/2025 campaign, however, saw him leave the club with immediate effect back in February.
He joins Burnley after the club recently made clear their ambitions of reaching the top level. They announced that the women’s team was moving to a full-time professional setup following the completion of the last campaign and they will compete in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division next season. With the Barclays WSL expanding to 14 teams from the 2026/2027 season, there will more promotion opportunities for FAWNL Premier teams this year.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Matt to the Club, it’s great to have him on board,” Burnley’s Head of Women’s Football Lola Ogunbote stated. “We’ve been taking great strides forward here at Burnley and Matt’s appointment is a further statement of intent, our aims, and our ambition to be a successful football club. He is a coach with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he has a real vision and passion for growing the women’s game.”
“As we make the move to becoming a full-time professional women’s football team this season, it’s an incredibly exciting time for everyone here at the Club. I’m looking forward to working closely with Matt to take the team to the next level and would like to thank our ownership group for their continued support.”
