She Coaches: Jayne Ludlow (Reading FC Women manager)

A She Coaches profile of Jayne Ludlow, the 35-year-old manager of Reading FC Women, who in thirteen years at Arsenal won a mass of trophies and captained the Gunners to a historic quadruple including the UEFA Cup in 2007. A qualified physiotherapist, the former Wales skipper sat her first badge ten years ago, retired from playing the previous year, and is now Wales’ first female Pro Licence student while also overseeing all women’s and girls’ football at Reading and coaching the Wales Under-16s. Ludlow says she moved into coaching as her legs gave out but she still wanted to help the game develop. She suggests some women are put off badges by having to coach Under-18 boys in their finals, names Patrick Vieira, Tim Sherwood and Craig Bellamy among her Pro Licence coursemates, and argues the world is changing.