01 June 2023 , 09:44
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Lydia Bedford has spoken out for the first time since her landmark appointment as manager of Brentford men's Under-18s side.
Bedford, 35, has previously worked as England Women's youth team head coach and manager of Leicester Women, as well as having spent the past three months as part of Jonas Eidevall's coaching staff at Arsenal Women.
Brentford confirmed Bedford's appointment on Thursday, with former Nottingham Forest forward Jon-Paul Pittman set to leave his current coaching position at League Two side Forest Green Rovers to become Bedford's second in command.
It is understood Bedford is one of a handful of female coaches to take up a managerial role at any level at a Premier League club. Former England international midfielder Jill Scott recently took up a coaching position within Manchester City's academy.
However Bedford's appointment is historic in the fact she will lead the team, rather than act as an assistant or work in a supporting role. Consequently, Bedford - who said her goodbyes to Arsenal's players this week after informing them of her departure - has the opportunity to make history, entering an exclusive group of female coaches to work with men's teams at the elite level.
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And the 35-year-old has now taken to social media to thank Jonas Eidevall and his players for their support during her time at Meadow Park.
Posting on Instagram, Bedford wrote: "Thank you @jonaseidevall and @ArsenalWFC for trusting me to come in and add to your environment. To the players, thank you for rising to every challenge we faced. You have been relentless! To the fans, I will never forget how it felt to have 60,000 of you at the Emirates. The end of a short but ever so sweet chapter. One I’ll never forget #onceagooneralwaysagooner."
Bedford began her coaching career in 2008 and completed her UEFA Pro Licence in 2019 alongside Brentford legend Kevin O’Connor and Justin Cochrane, who joined the club last summer as their head of coaching.
In November 2021, Bedford was appointed as manager of newly-promoted Leicester City in the Women's Super League, and she helped the Foxes somewhat improbably avoid relegation during her first season at the King Power. However, after losing the first six games of the 2022/23 campaign, Leicester moved to sack Bedford last November, with former Everton Women's boss Willie Kirk subsequently taking charge of the club.
Discussing Bedford's appointment, as well as the addition of Pittman, Brentford FC director of football Phil Giles said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to attract such talented coaches as Lydia and Jon-Paul to our under-18 team for next year. It’s an important time for the under-18 team as next season will be the first where they’ve operated out of the Robert Rowan Performance Centre and integrating them smoothly alongside the first team and B team will be essential.
“We undertook an extensive recruitment process for these roles. Lydia and Jon-Paul were the two best candidates, and thankfully we were able to finalise their recruitment to the staff. I’m sure they will excel, and we all look forward to working with them through pre-season and beyond.”