Brentford have confirmed the appointment of Lydia Bedford as head coach of their Under-18s from the start of the 2023/24 season.
The 35-year-old joins Brentford from Arsenal, where she was the assistant coach of the Women’s Super League side. Before then, she was head coach of Leicester City Women.
Brentford's Under-18s team were founded last year after the club were granted Category Four Academy status. From next season they will train full-time at the club's Robert Rowan Performance Centre.
Bedford will be assisted by Jon-Paul Pittman, who after spells as a player with Crawley Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Grimsby Town, got on the coaching pathway with help from the Premier League’s Professional Player to Coach Scheme (PPCS).
The scheme was launched in 2019 to increase the number of Black and Asian players moving into full-time coaching roles in the professional game.
Pittman joins from Forest Green Rovers, where he was development phase coach after working at Exeter City as part of the PPCS.
Best candidates
“We undertook an extensive recruitment process for these roles,” Brentford FC director of football Phil Giles told the club’s official website. "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.”
