New West Ham United Ladies head coach Matt Beard has pointed to the passion of the club’s supporters and a desire to play beautiful football as key reasons behind his decision to join the Hammers.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea coach will guide the Irons into the club’s first season in the newly restructured Women’s Super League, after putting pen to paper on a deal this week.
Beard has been impressed with the ambition and vision for West Ham Ladies’ future and is ready to begin work on making the side successful in the first women’s professional league in England.
“West Ham is my type of club in regard to the way we should play football, and the passion of the fans,” Beard told West Ham TV. “I’m really excited to be here and I feel this is a great project where we can make this team successful.
West Ham is my type of club in regard to the way we should play football, and the passion of the fans. I’m really excited to be here.
Matt Beard
“I feel that every direction that the club wants to go in matches my ambition. The biggest thing in women’s football is the infrastructure. The infrastructure we have here is second to none, and it’s only going to get better.
“It’s good to come into a team like West Ham Ladies because there’s a buzz around the place at the moment, especially with gaining WSL status as well. Karen Ray and Jack Sullivan have done a great job and I think it’s going to be an easy transition for me to come in and make progress as a team.”
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Having taken Liverpool to two WSL championships during his coaching career, Beard knows the challenge that awaits his Hammers when the new season begins.
The head coach however is ready for the opportunity to build and work with a competitive West Ham Ladies side.
He continued: “It’s going to be a tough challenge. When I was at Liverpool I was lucky enough to win the title in my first year, but it’s a more established league now and the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Reading have done really well.
“We’ve also got some of the world’s best players playing in this league, but I’m confident and I believe in the footballers we are trying to attract to this football club. Anything can happen in football. We want to build a successful and competitive team, and I genuinely believe that we can do that.
“For me, this isn’t a short-term project. I can see myself being here a long time and hopefully going forward we can be a successful club.”
Season Tickets for Matt Beard’s first campaign in charge of West Ham United Ladies are now on sale!
You can follow the Ladies’ journey into the Women’s Super League in person from just £15! Follow the link here for more information!
