Former Wales Women’s Football Manager, Jayne Ludlow MBE, has joined University of South Wales (USW) as Head of Sport.
Jayne won the first of 61 Wales caps, aged 17, in 1996 and was an integral member of the Arsenal side that won a domestic triple of Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup in 2001. In 2007, Jayne captained Arsenal as they became the first British team to win the UEFA Champions League which completed an incredible quadruple.
Following her retirement from playing, Jayne pursued a career in coaching, working first within strength and conditioning before gaining her football coaching badges; she remains one of very few female coaches to be awarded the prestigious UEFA Professional Licence. After working as Director of Football with both Arsenal and Reading, Jayne returned to Wales to take charge of the national team leading them to their highest world ranking.
After guiding Wales to the brink of qualification for the 2019 World Cup in France, Jayne was awarded an MBE for services to women’s football in Wales in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. She was also awarded an honorary fellowship of USW, the same year, in recognition of her contribution to Welsh Women’s Football.
A qualified Chartered Physiotherapist, Jayne joins USW from her role as the Technical Director for Manchester City Women FC Academy. She is a member of FIFA’s Global Football Development Technical Leadership Team and a FIFA Coach Mentor for aspiring high performance coaches. Jayne is also a member of UEFA’s Technical Observer Team for Champions League competitions.
Jayne Ludlow said: “I’m thrilled to have been given the opportunity to join the USW family and to be entrusted to help the team develop our Sport portfolio in the coming years. As a passionate ex-player, medic, manager, and coach, I am excited to keep learning and also to share my journey and help inspire the next generation of coaches and performance services workforce who will positively impact not only football, but the wider sporting landscape for years to come.”
Dr James Gravelle, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, said: “We are delighted to welcome Jayne to the USW Family. She joins Jay Probert as joint Head of Sport, with Jayne overseeing our on-campus sports degrees and Jay responsible for the many sport courses that we deliver as part of unique partnerships with clubs and sporting governing bodies.
“USW has strong sporting background, an excellent reputation for sport degrees and impressive facilities. Just last year, we launched our high-performance sport programme and celebrated our 10-year partnership with the English Football League Trust. Jayne joins us with her extensive experience having worked tirelessly to promote football and inspire more girls into the sport. We welcome her input as we continue to towards USW’s vision to change lives and our world for the better.”
