“We are extremely pleased to welcome Bev Priestman back to
\u200bCanada Soccer as our Women’s National Team Head Coach,” said Steven Reed,
\u200bCanada Soccer President. “Bev’s contributions leading the Women’s
\u200bNational EXCEL Program and supporting the Women’s National Team as an Assistant
\u200bCoach during her five-years with Canada Soccer set a solid foundation for
\u200bsuccess across all levels of the Women’s National Team Program and we are
\u200bexcited to have her bring her recent experience, vision and leadership to her
\u200bnew role.”
“It is an honour and privilege to return to Canada to lead
\u200bsuch a talented group of players and a team with a fantastic history,” said Bev
\u200bPriestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “With a great
\u200bblend of experience and youth, I’m excited as to what we can achieve together
\u200bover the next quadrennial. I would like to thank Canada Soccer for this
\u200bfantastic opportunity. Our immediate focus is the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 next
\u200byear and then subsequently building towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup
\u200bAustralia/New Zealand 2023™ where ultimately Canada should be on that podium. I
\u200blook forward to connecting with the great group of staff and players ready to
\u200bhead into the Olympic year of 2021 focused and ready to give it our all.”
Priestman most recently served as England’s Women’s U-18
\u200bNational Team Head Coach and was scheduled to lead England at the postponed
\u200bFIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2021™. She previously served as England’s
\u200bWomen’s National Team Assistant Coach. Just last year, she helped England
\u200bfinish fourth at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, also helping Great
\u200bBritain qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. She has completed her UEFA A
\u200bDiploma (Coaching Award) and is currently a UEFA PRO Licence Candidate.
Before joining England in June 2018, Priestman spent the
\u200bprevious five years at Canada Soccer serving as National EXCEL Director, U-15
\u200bto U-23. In her role, she served as Head Coach at two editions of the FIFA U-17
\u200bWomen’s World Cup, one edition of the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship,
\u200bthree editions of the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and one edition
\u200bof the Concacaf Under-15 Championship.
Priestman also served as an Assistant Coach with Canada
\u200bSoccer’s Women’s National Team, notably serving as a Technical Assistant at the
\u200bFIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ (sixth place), the 2016 Concacaf Women’s
\u200bOlympic Qualifying Championship (second place), and the Rio 2016 Women’s
\u200bOlympic Football Tournament where Canada captured a second consecutive bronze
\u200bmedal.
Canada are in fact one of just five nations in the world
\u200bthat have qualified for each of the past four Women’s Olympic Football Tournaments.
\u200bCanada is also the only nation in the world to reach the podium at both London
\u200b2012 and Rio 2016 in women’s football.
Before Canada Soccer, Priestman worked for New Zealand
\u200bFootball for four and a half years, serving as Head of Football Development
\u200bbefore her departure in June 2013. In England, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree,
\u200bScience and Football, from Liverpool John Moores University.
Priestman takes over the role of Canada Soccer’s Women’s
\u200bNational Team Head Coach from Kenneth Heiner-Møller, who left the role at the
\u200bend of the summer. From 2018 to 2020, Heiner-Møller posted an international “A”
\u200brecord of 20 wins, 5 draws and 10 losses. During his tenure as Head Coach, he
\u200bqualified Canada for both the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ and Tokyo
\u200b2020 Olympic Games with second-place finishes at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s
\u200bChampionship and 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
\u200brespectively.
OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS & CONCACAF CHAMPIONS
\u200bCanada are two-time Olympic bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016) and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and three consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2016). At Rio 2016, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team were the first Canadian Olympic team to win back-to-back medals at a summer Olympic Games in more than a century.
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile,
\u200bhave won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s
\u200bUnder-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the
\u200b2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for seven
\u200beditions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada
\u200b2002) and all six editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a
\u200bfourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).