Hearts are set to make Scottish and international football history with the appointment of Shelley Kerr as their new technical director of development, a key position that will focus exclusively on the development of male players. The appointment makes Kerr, a former Scotland women’s national team coach, the first woman to hold such a position at a major football club in Europe and, more specifically, in Scotland.
Kerr, 55, will be responsible for the transition of players from the academy to the first team, as well as supporting Hearts’ B team and overseeing the development of coaches at the club’s training base. The decision, which is expected to be made official in the coming hours, reinforces the growing prominence of women in leadership roles within the men’s game.
A CAREER DEDICATED TO FOOTBALL
Kerr, a Hearts fan since her youth, has an impressive track record that includes managing Arsenal women’s and Stirling University, a Lowland League men’s team. She also led Scotland’s women’s national team to the 2019 World Cup, becoming a key figure in the growth of the game in her country. More recently, she has worked on women’s team development with the English FA, while maintaining her presence in Scotland as a sports analyst.
Hearts’ sporting director Graeme Jones highlighted the importance of this appointment as part of a strategy to nurture young talent and encourage their integration into the first team. The lack of opportunities for young players in the Scottish Premiership has been a recurring theme, and Hearts are looking to change this trend, as evidenced by the recent debuts of promising young players such as James Wilson and Adam Forrester.
WOMEN IN THE MEN’S GAME
The appointment of Shelley Kerr is yet another example of the advancement of women into historic roles within the men’s game. Figures such as Bev Priestman, coach of Canada’s U-17 men’s national team, and Helena Costa, the first woman to coach a professional men’s team in France (Clermont Foot), show how gender barriers are progressively being broken down.
These milestones not only open doors for future generations of women in sport, but also demonstrate the value their perspectives bring to the technical and strategic development of men’s teams.
