Former Hibernian Ladies Manager Willie Kirk has been appointed as the new Head Coach of Bristol Academy WFC following the departure of Dave Edmonson.
Kirk managed Hibs for four years, winning Manager of Year in 2013 before moving to the Scottish FA’s National Performance Centre for Women’s Football where he held the post of High Performance Football Manager.
Simon Arnold, Chairman of Bristol Academy told the club website “Willie comes with a very good pedigree and was a front runner when we interviewed for the post in 2014 however he did not have an A Licence at that point which is a requirement in the WSL, so we offered the role to Dave Edmondson. Since then, Willie has finished his A Licence and has gained considerable experience with elite players in Scotland. We have stayed in touch with Willie during that time and we had no hesitation in approaching him when the role at Bristol arose. Willie came down to Bristol at the weekend and we are delighted that we were able to agree terms. We would like to thank both the Scottish FA and Heriot-Watt University who have been very understanding and will allow Willie some flexibility to support the squad for our last two games before the break.”
Willie added ‘I am delighted to be offered the opportunity to manage Bristol Academy. I believe I can build on the foundations laid by Dave Edmondson and Bristol have enough money available for me during the next transfer window to strengthen the squad. The set-up is fantastic at Bristol, highly committed players, great supporters, generous sponsors, hardworking back office staff and talented coaches and I can’t wait to get going. The start of the season has been disappointing, however the results have not been a true reflection of the performances and this gives me confidence that we can turn things around. The girls here have big hearts, they want to play for each other and the spirit in the camp is very positive which is a great place to start.’
Kirk will be in the stands at Birmingham on Wednesday and will formally join the Club at the end of the month. He will make his home debut against Arsenal on Saturday 9th May at the Stoke Gifford Stadium (6.30pm kick off).
Photo: Hibernian Ladies Team Captain and Scottish Internationalist Joelle Murray presents Coach Willie Kirk with a photograph album commemorating his time at the club.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
