Bay FC has found its new head coach, leaning into the development side of the game to hire Emma Coates away from England’s Under-23 team.

Coates, a former Leeds United player, has managed the U-23 Lionesses since 2023, directing an undefeated 2023-24 European league campaign.

“Emma is not only an excellent coach, but she also has a proven track record of developing players to compete at the highest levels of both the domestic and international game,” Bay Collective CEO Kay Cossington said in the club’s announcement. “She is an outstanding leader of people and culture and has the football vision we were looking for.”

Cossington, who led the coaching search as an executive for Bay FC’s parent company, was the women’s technical director for England before leaving for Bay FC in May.

“From

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