Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Dom Smith

Brentford news: Lydia Bedford appointed men’s U18 manager in landmark moment

Brentford have appointed Lydia Bedford as head coach of their men’s Under-18s side, in a move that sees her take up one of the most senior coaching roles ever held by a woman at a Premier League club.

Bedford leaves the Arsenal Women coaching set-up and becomes one of only a handful of female coaches to hold a role in the men’s setup at English clubs.

She will work alongside Jon-Paul Pittman, who joins Brentford as her assistant coach from Forest Green Rovers.

Bedford worked at the FA with the England Women’s youth teams until she took over as manager of Leicester Women in November 2021. She helped Leicester avoid relegation from the WSL in 2021-22 but was replaced the following season after a poor start.

Bedford, who completed her UEFA Pro Licence in 2019, joined Arsenal as an assistant to Jonas Eidevall in February but has left after just three months to join Brentford.

Brentford director of football Phil Giles said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to attract such talented coaches as Lydia and Jon-Paul. We undertook an extensive recruitment process for these roles. Lydia and Jon-Paul were the two best candidates. I’m sure they will excel.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.