Bev Priestman

Hailing from small-town Consett, England, Beverly (Bev) Priestman grew up with a soccer ball at her feet. Playing on the streets and the schoolground alike, Bev adopted the hardworking reputation of her hometown, bringing that blue collar mentality to every team she has coached in her young career. The humble soccer ball would take her on to the world’s biggest stage, leading the Canadian Women’s National Team to Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the youngest coach at the tournament, just one year after taking control of the program.

Over the span of 15 years, soccer has brought Priestman to three continents, getting her start as a Support Coach with the Everton Football Club and shortly thereafter heading up the development of New Zealand Football’s National Team for 5 years. She would then come to Canada, quickly moving up the ranks to become an Assistant Coach under her own childhood futsal coach, John Herdman, who also hails from Consett. After a pressure-packed two-year stint as Assistant Head Coach with the English Women’s National Team, where Priestman would guide the Lionesses to a 4th place finish at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Bev would come back across the pond to become the Head Coach of Canada’s Senior Women’s Team.

Off the pitch, Bev enjoys spending time with her partner Emma Humphries, a former New Zealand international footballer, and their son Jack.