Kerri Coombs Joins As Head of Girls Football
Oxford United Women would like to share the news that Kerri Coombs has been chosen as the new leader for Girls Football for the upcoming 2024/25 Season.
Coming from Lewes FC Women, Kerri's arrival will play a crucial role in supervising the evolution of the pathway for the U16s at the club. The goal is to help bridge the gap between the U16s and the Women's First Team by offering them more challenging opportunities and greater exposure to competitive senior football at an earlier stage.
In the blog post, Kerri Coombs expressed her enthusiasm about joining Oxford United. She mentioned that she has taken on the role of Head of Girls Football and is also assisting the First Team to gain a better understanding of manager Sam Rose's expectations for the players. Additionally, she aims to help the youth players transition into the senior team.
Before this, I played at Lewes Football Club in the Championship, which was a major moment in my career. Before that, I spent a decade living abroad in the USA, Morocco, and Hong Kong. The opportunities to meet and learn from so many different people during that time were truly invaluable.
In the background, this position has required a significant amount of careful planning, not just focusing on short-term or medium-term goals. Our goal is to look ahead three to five years, with a key focus on developing players for the Oxford United First Team who are committed to the club's culture and can excel on the field.
The head of Oxford United Women's team, Gemma Sims, informed us:
I'm excited to collaborate with Kerri, who will be in charge of our program for girls at Oxford United. Kerri's background at Lewes FC and her commitment to improving both coaches and players is just what we need to progress our girls' program.
She came at the perfect moment to be fully engaged in the trial process and the discussion on how we've redesigned the prospects for players once they reach 16. We are extremely pleased with the accomplishments of the Development Team in recent years, it has been amazing for both the club and the players.
Our main focus is on nurturing players who can eventually join our top team. We believe that giving our younger players a chance to play in senior football matches at an earlier stage will improve their skills and growth as athletes.
In order to do this, we are beginning to collaborate with nearby teams that we think can offer the tough challenges our young players need. This partnership is intended to close the divide between youth and senior team football.
View Kerri's complete interview here:
