Kirk Committed To Future: Willie Kirk interview (Bristol Academy head coach)

Catherine Etoe profiles Willie Kirk, the Bristol Academy manager who spent fourteen years as a management accountant while harbouring one ambition, to coach football full time, and who recalls people telling him he had his head in the clouds and should focus on accountancy. That ended when Hibernian took him on as an Academy coach, and the 37-year-old Scot has since added four years in youth football, almost five leading Hibs Ladies to honours, a spell developing Scotland’s elite female players, the UEFA A-Licence and a Scottish women’s manager of the year award. Kirk had applied for the Bristol job in 2013 and reached the final two, but says he is glad it worked out as it did because he was probably not ready. He reports players agreeing to train full time and says that is the aim regardless of division.