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The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has announced the appointment of former Lioness Louise Newstead as its new Head of Coach Development.

Newstead, who joined the PFA in 2018 as a Regional Coach Educator, is a former England women’s international. She was awarded 39 caps, played in three European Championships and was a member of the1995 Women’s World Cup squad.

She played 540 games for Millwall Lionesses, playing a leading role as the club won both the Premier League Cup and the FA Cup. She went on to take up a wide range of senior off-field roles with the club and was heavily involved in the establishment of the country’s first girls’ Centre of Excellence at Millwall.

The PFA is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales, representing approximately 5,000 current professionals across the Premier League, EFL and WSL. The PFA also offers a range of support and services to around 50,000 former professional players who have been members of the union.

A key part of the PFA’s support for members is the delivery of exclusive, subsidised courses to help current and former professional players gain their UEFA coaching badges and qualify to work with footballers at every level.

The courses, led by the PFA’s in-house team of specialist coach educators, are a central part of the union’s work to help members transition to new roles within the game when their playing days come to an end.

As PFA Head of Coach Development, Louise becomes one of the country’s most senior coach educators. Alongside her work on the pitch, she will be responsible for leading knowledge exchange with the game’s domestic and international stakeholders on all areas of coaching and technical development.

On her appointment, Louise said:

“I’m really pleased to be taking up the role of Head of Coach Development and continuing the great work that the whole team does for PFA members across the game.

“What we do isn’t just about providing a coaching programme for players to follow. It’s just as much about personal relationships, mentoring and support.

“Just by being a player, you have a wealth of knowledge that you can adapt and use as you go forward into a coaching career. I always encourage members, whatever stage they are at, to take advantage of the support that is available.”

Louise also highlighted the increase in opportunities within the women’s game and how that has evolved throughout her career.

“Every career is unique, and my journey through the game has been an interesting one. I started playing when I was 11 years old, but that was only after having been banned from the boys’ team. It just wasn’t something that girls did that much.

“I think I was fortunate to be able to forge a career as a coach because the opportunities just weren’t there. You had to create them.

“But that’s changing for the better. There are more chances for girls and women to be part of the game, whether that’s as a player, a coach or a manager. That’s something we’re really focused on supporting.”

“Young players now can see female coaches, and if they see them, they will believe they can become them - that’s really important.”

PFA Chief Executive Maheta Molango said:

“I’m delighted that Louise will be leading the work of the PFA’s coaching department.

“Louise is an incredibly well-respected figure within the game and within the coaching community.

“The work that our coach educator team do with players at all levels - from scholars to senior professionals leaving the game - can have a genuinely transformative impact on the lives and careers of our members.”

“I look forward to seeing Louise and the team continue to help develop the coaching careers of our members and helping them go onto great things within the game.”

Managers and coaches who have taken coaching qualifications with the PFA and gone onto high profile managerial roles include Gareth Southgate, Kelly Smith, Mikel Arteta, Kieran McKenna and Dougie Freedman, Vincent Kompany and Michael Carrick.