The Clarets Are Coming

Carrie Dunn asks how a third-tier club landed the manager who took Liverpool to fourth in the Barclays WSL last May. Matt Beard, a winner of WSL and Championship titles, says he spoke to clubs abroad and in higher divisions before deciding Burnley was the right project: the ambition is second to none, they want to be a Super League club, and the tools are already at the training ground. Head of women’s and girls’ football Lola Ogunbote traces a one-club mentality back to ALK Capital’s takeover in 2020, insisting the commitment holds whatever happens on the men’s side, and points to the transition from hybrid to full-time and a clear road map to the WSL, with some matches still played at Turf Moor. A sidebar has Claudia Walker describing house-sharing with teammates as a little family.