Matt Beard, the former manager of Liverpool Women, recently tweeted some career advice. He spoke about the difficulties he faces in the job market since leaving the club in mid February. The 47-year-old coach, best known for two successful coaching spells at Liverpool FC, opened up about his experiences via the Pitch of Pod podcast. The podcast is hosted by women’s footballing heroes Jordan Nobbs and Nikita Parris.
Beard’s time at Liverpool was hugely successful, highlighted by back-to-back league title victories. His third year turned out to be the toughest, a difficulty he would come to recognize as an important education. Prior to arriving at Liverpool, Beard had managed a number of other influential clubs. He’s had successful spells managing the women’s teams at Chelsea, West Ham, and Bristol City.
After leaving Liverpool, Beard took over Bristol City as interim manager. Sadly, he either endured the fortune or misfortune of experiencing relegation to the second tier while there. His coaching odyssey took him to the United States, where he coached the Boston Breakers. Beard described his time in Boston as “probably the toughest job you could ever choose,” highlighting the steep learning curve he experienced there, particularly in adapting to a different style of play.
Reflecting on his career trajectory, Beard expressed that returning to Liverpool after his time in Boston was one of the best decisions he made. He spoke of the pride he derived from winning every major trophy available in the domestic game during his managerial career. Despite these successes, Beard is currently facing the challenges of searching for jobs while not receiving a regular paycheck.
In his discussion on the podcast, Beard opened up about his worries over financial security. He went on to say that he would have to return to his previous work as an estate agent. This would allow him to at least stay afloat during his search for a potential new coaching job. This feeling of being in the unknown is reflective of the pressure cooker environment many coaches experience in a competitive, meat grinder industry.
Even as he plans for the future, Beard is hopeful about where the new opportunities will be. He’s started to explore possibilities outside the sport and is interested in non-playing roles. Beard’s extensive experience and a demonstrated record of effective performance. Overall, he’s optimistic that he’ll be able to land in a place that better matches his longer-term career goals before too long.
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