Oxford United Women are pleased to announce the appointment of Jodie Whitford-Stark as Head of Girls Football.
Jodie joins with a wealth of experience in coaching for the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and the FA and will oversee the structure of the Girls’ pathway.
Whitford-Stark said
“I'm really excited to be here at a club which develops a lot of talented players on the boys and girls side. Obviously, the women's section has been really successful too so it's a great role and a great club to come into, and I can't wait to get started.
“I'll oversee all our junior section: we've got teams from Under 10s to Under 16s. We've got six teams within those age groups, so I'll support the players and the staff working within that pathway and just look to drive things forward.
“I've worked with all types of players, I've worked with the young ones, I've worked with the old ones. Hopefully those experiences will help me to develop them all. Ultimately, we want them to stay with us for the whole pathway and I think that's the most exciting thing: that we've got a complete pathway for girls in the local area.
“I've been at Arsenal with the Girls Academy, I was at Watford with the Boys Academy and I worked for Chelsea in the International Department. I've done a lot of coaching from that perspective and then I worked for the FA as a coach developer as well so hopefully those experiences combined can really help me in this role to support players and support staff.
“I came here because the club has already been successful, so I know I'm coming into an environment which has a lot of high potential and that's crucial really. I'm someone that’s got loads of ideas and so hopefully we can be really forward thinking on that front.
Watch the full interview with Jodie on iFollow now.