Bristol City Women have bolstered their coaching ranks with the addition of former England, Aston Villa and Arsenal defender Anita Asante.
The 37-year-old earned 71 caps for the Lionesses, was included in squads at five international tournaments and played at the 2012 Olympics for Team GB hung up her boots earlier this year.
Domestically, Asante began her career with Arsenal and was part of the team that won the quadruple in 2007 before moving to play for a number of teams in America, returning to Europe in 2012 with Goteburg. She went on to play for FC Rosengard in Sweden, Chelsea and finally Aston Villa where she made 35 appearances before announcing her retirement in April.
“I'm delighted to be here and have the opportunity to work with a great crop of players. It's a really motivated group and the staff have welcomed me in so I'm hoping I can use my knowledge and experience from my playing days in my coaching journey,” she said.
"Hopefully I can bring experience from playing at several clubs at the highest level in the women's game but also my international career as well, as I have played in different countries for different managers and different styles of play.
"The intensity that I have seen them put into the sessions so far show that they are an ambitious group that are really connected. Their communication has been spot on and that just makes it easier for us to work with them to get them to levels where we all want to get to."
Asante will work under Lauren Smith for the season ahead as City bid to earn promotion from the Championship having finished third in 2021/22.
“Anita will be a fantastic addition to our coaching staff with her vast level of knowledge and experience within the game,” Smith said. “She’s just setting out on her coaching career and we believe our environment will allow her to develop and flourish on the training pitches and the touchline, ultimately contributing to our success on the pitch.”
