Calgary Wild name Lydia Bedford as women's pro soccer team's first head coach

The Calgary Wild women's pro soccer team announced Lydia Bedford to be its first head coach in Calgary, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

The Calgary Wild women's pro soccer team has named Lydia Bedford the team's first head coach.

The Wild are part of the six-team Northern Super League starting its inaugural season in April.

Bedford was manager of Leicester City's women's team and also a former assistant manager of Arsenal's women.

The 37-year-old from England was coach of Brentford's men's under-18 men's team last season, which made her among few women to hold a coaching job within a Premier League club. 

"I want to be a coach that progresses in the women's game, and I want to be renowned for what I achieve in the teams that I work with," Bedford said.

"This provides me with a great platform to come in and start with a team at the beginning of its journey, where it’s a level playing field and actually my ability as a coach is what I get judged by."

When asked what type of style the Wild will play, Bedford said she wants the team to be "really scrappy out of possession."

"We want to be really hard to beat, and in possession we want to have a style of play that the fans will enjoy watching. You’ll see us trying to possess the ball and play through the thirds. We’ll do what helps us to win games and at the same time it will be a bit of a revolution throughout the season."

The Wild have signed several players so far, including three Calgarians, Afghan-Canadian Farkhunda Muhtaj and three-time Olympian Meikayla Moore of New Zealand.

Calgarian and Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey is among the investors in the Wild, which will play out of McMahon Stadium.

With files from The Canadian Press