Football coach returns to home turf for lecture

A University of Wolverhampton sports graduate who is head coach of a top women’s football team in America is returning to home turf for a guest lecture.

Laura Harvey is head coach of Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League, having previously coached Arsenal LFC and Birmingham City LFC.

She will be returning to the University, where she studied a BA (Hons) Sports Studies, on Monday, 7 November 2016.

She will share her expertise about football coaching to a female mentoring group supported by The FA and sports students at the Walsall Campus from 6-9pm.

Bess Evans, Deputy Director of the University's Institute of Sport, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Laura Harvey back to the University to share her wealth of knowledge with female coaches and players in the West Midlands. It’s great to see that we at are supporting the female game as a University to help encourage and support the FA Female Mentoring Programme”.

“Laura has gone on to a hugely successful career in coaching both in the UK and America, and I’m sure her experiences will provide inspiration to all that attend the event.”

Laura Harvey began playing football at a young age. As a teenager, she played for Coventry City LFC for six years.  At age 22, Harvey ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament while playing for Birmingham City LFC and stopped playing professionally. She previously played for Wolverhampton Wanderers WFC.

She was head coach at Birmingham City LFC from 2006-2008 before joining Arsenal LFC, where she was head coach until 2012. She has been head coach at Seattle Reign since 2013.

She has also previously served as assistant coach for the England women's national football team at the U-17, U-19 and U-23 levels. Laura Harvey was named FAWSL Coach of the Year in 2011 after guiding Arsenal to win the league title, FA Cup, and Continental Cup.

She was named NWSL Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015.

If you would like to attend the FA Mentoring Programme event with Laura Harvey then please register through the FA Luke.bowles@birmimnghamfa.co.uk

Further information

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