Former Canada coach Bev Priestman to coach Phoenix's women's team after one-year FIFA ban
The 39-year-old Englishwoman, who led Canada to Olympic gold in 2021, has just completed a one-year FIFA ban from football-related activity for her role in flying a drone over a closed New Zealand training session at last year's Summer Games.
Priestman has been handed a two-year deal by Phoenix to coach its women's side, which finished ninth of the 12 teams in the Australian A-League Women earlier this year.
'We're really pleased to be able to welcome Bev back to football,' Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said in a club statement.
ALSO READ: Man City re-signs goalkeeper Trafford from Burnley on five-year deal
'We all know she's had a period of time away from the game, but we understand the circumstances and we're really comfortable with this appointment.
'This is a step up in an exciting era for the Phoenix women's team.'
Priestman is no stranger to her new home, having previously served as New Zealand Football's director of football development and married former Football Ferns midfielder and current Phoenix academy director Emma Humphries.
'Huge thanks to (the club) for giving me this chance to come back to the game I love, and hopefully bring some special moments to not only this city, but this country,' said the former assistant coach of England's women's team.
'Coming back to New Zealand and seeing the Phoenix week in, week out as the only professional women's team has been amazing. We have a responsibility now to fly the flag for this country and try to do something special.'
Related Topics
Bev Priestman
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Olympic gold-medalist Sha'Carri Richardson arrested over alleged domestic assault
Reigning 100-meter world champion Sha'Carri Richardson was arrested last weekend for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend at the Seattle-Tacoma International was arrested Sunday on a fourth-degree domestic violence offense, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press. On Thursday, she ran in the opening round of the women's 100 meters at U.S. track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon. She has an automatic bye to the world championships in September in Tokyo as the defending 25-year-old Richardson was booked into the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in Des Moines, Washington, at 6:54 p.m. last Sunday and released Monday at 1:13 p.m. 'USATF is aware of the reports and is not commenting on this matter,' USA Track and Field said in a agent did not immediately reply to an email request for police report said an officer at the airport was notified by a Transportation Security Administration supervisor of a disturbance between Richardson and her boyfriend, sprinter Christian officer reviewed camera footage and observed Richardson reach out with her left arm and grab Coleman's backpack and yank it away. Richardson then appeared to get in Coleman's way with Coleman trying to step around her. Coleman was shoved into a report later said Richardson appeared to throw an item at Coleman, which the TSA indicated may have been the police report, the officer said: 'I was told Coleman did not want to participate any further in the investigation and declined to be a victim.'Richardson won the 100 at the 2023 world championships in Budapest and finished with the silver at the Paris Games last summer. She also helped the 4x100 relay to an Olympic had a positive marijuana test at the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials and didn't compete at the Tokyo Olympics.- Ends
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
CM Revanth Reddy unveils Telangana Sports Policy
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy unveiled the Telangana Sports Policy during the first edition of the Telangana Sports Conclave here on Saturday. The policy outlines a comprehensive vision for sports development across the state and will focus on strengthening governance, expanding infrastructure, creating career pathways and nurturing a vibrant sports ecosystem. 'We finished in 71st position in the Paris Olympics. We have declared that we are ready to host the Olympics but what if we do not win a single gold medal there? This policy is not just a piece of paper but a valuable document to guide us in our endeavour to win medals at the Olympics,' he said during the day-long event, where the state government also announced several MoUs with key national and international organisations. The policy also asks for the formation of a 14-member Board of Governors to oversee the Telangana Sports Development Fund (TSDF). Featuring some of India's most respected stakeholders in sports like Kapil Dev, Abhinav Bindra, Pullela Gopichand, Bhaichung Bhutia and Sanjeev Goenka, this board will ensure transparent and accountable utilisation of resources. Olympic medallist Gagan Narang said that the successful implementation of the policy could make Telangana a 'game-changer' in the Indian sports ecosystem. 'PPP (Public-Private Partnership) is the buzzword, but we forget the original PPP — Policy, Programme and Performance. Buy into this PPP, and the other PPP is not a problem. Telangana could be the first state to implement this,' he said during a panel discussion. Former Olympic shooting champion Bindra underlined the country's 'transactional' relationship with sport while hailing the objectives of the newly-launched framework. 'This is not for elite sport. There will be an increase in the playing numbers with this policy. It is important to develop sports from the grassroots level and not focus on medals alone,' he stated.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
India's first FIFA Talent Academy for girls launched
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Government of Telangana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch India's first FIFA Talent Academy for girls at the Gachibowli Stadium Complex. The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the Telangana Sports Conclave here on Saturday. The national federation, in coordination with FIFA, will lead operations, technical framework, talent scouting and training curriculum. The Sports Authority of Telangana (SATG) will oversee infrastructure, logistics, education, financial and welfare support. 'This marks a defining moment in our journey towards equitable football development. The academy will inspire a generation of footballers who can dream of representing India at the highest levels. This is a strong step forward towards our goal of qualifying for the under-17 men's and women's FIFA World Cups,' AIFF president Shri Kalyan Chaubey said. The academy will offer year-round high-performance training to 60 athletes – 30 boys (u-14) and 30 girls (u-16), with 10 players in each category hailing from Telangana.
