MATT BEARD’S MANAGERIAL CAREER

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Learn more about women’s team manager’s background

2025-06-26T09:00:00.000Z

MATT BEARD’S MANAGERIAL CAREER

Learn more about women’s team manager’s background

2025-06-26T09:00:00.000Z

Learn more about women’s team manager’s background

New women’s team manager Matt Beard’s managerial career has taken him all over England and abroad, and has included plenty of success.

Born in London, Beard’s first coaching steps were in men’s non-league football before assisting at Charlton Athletic Ladies.

Having moved into men’s academy football at Millwall, Beard joined the Lionesses’ coaching set up under manager Keith Boanas, who he had worked with at Charlton.

When Boanas left to take charge of the Estonia national team in January 2009, Beard stepped up to manage Millwall Ladies and the 2008/09 season ended in success as they gained promotion to the top flight after eight years away.

That turned out to be his only season at Millwall as he joined Chelsea ahead of the 2009/10 season, with his appointment being instigated by England legend Casey Stoney.

The Blues finished 3rd in that campaign, which was the last before the top flight was rebranded to the Women’s Super League.

Chelsea came 6th in 2011, and the 2012 campaign was a successful one as the Blues reached the FA Cup final.

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The next chapter in Beard’s storied career saw him take charge of Liverpool for the first time in August 2012.

After a year of development, the Reds became the first football club in England to offer their female athletes professional contracts in April 2013, and that step kick started a historic two years.

Under Beard, Liverpool won back-to-back Women’s Super League titles to end Arsenal’s nine-year dominance of the competition.

Both titles were secured with final day victories over Bristol City and the 2014 campaign saw the Merseysiders compete in the Women’s Champions League too.

At the end of the 2015 campaign, it was announced that Beard would leave Liverpool and join Boston Breakers in the USA National Women’s Soccer League.

Moving to a new country and what he has described as ‘completely different’ style of play, Boston saw an improvement in Beard’s second season compared to recent campaigns.

They finished 9th in the 10-team table, making a seven-point improvement on the year prior and earning the team’s most points since 2013.

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Beard returned to England and his native London in June 2018, taking the opportunity to lead West Ham United in their first ever Women’s Super League season.

His first campaign with the Hammers ended with an FA Cup final against Manchester City, losing 3-0 at Wembley Stadium.

After a COVID-19 affected season in 2019/20, Beard left West Ham in November 2020 and took up an interim role in charge of Bristol City until the end of the season in January 2021, with current Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby taking maternity leave.

When that came to an end he re-joined Liverpool in in May 2021 and as with his previous spell at the Reds, success came quickly. The team were promoted from the Women’s Championship with 16 wins from 22 matches.

Having stabilised in the top flight in 2022/23, they pushed on in 2023/24 and earned a 4th-placed finish.

Beard eventually left Liverpool in February 2025 with the team sitting 7th in the 12-team table and now turns his attentions to Burnley.

The Clarets are preparing for the 2025/26 Northern Premier Division of the Women’s National League season, with the team’s new manager making his ambitions to win promotion clear.