Jayne Ludlow: Ex-Wales boss leaves Man City Women for Welsh university role
- Published
Jayne Ludlow spent seven years as Wales boss, leaving the post by mutual consent in 2021
Jayne Ludlow has left her role as academy director at Manchester City Women to return to work in Wales.
The former Wales manager is to become the University of South Wales' (USW) head of sport.
The 45-year-old leaves City after joining in April 2021.
Ludlow is "thrilled" at the "opportunity to join the USW family and to be entrusted to help the team develop our sport portfolio in the coming years".
She added: "As a passionate ex-player, medic, manager, and coach, I am excited to keep learning.
"Also, to share my journey and help inspire the next generation of coaches and performance services workforce who will positively impact not only football, but the wider sporting landscape for years to come."
Ludlow spent more than six years as Wales manager and twice came close to reaching a play-off for a first major women's finals.
Ludlow's Wales finished second to England in World Cup qualifying in 2018 and lost out to Northern Ireland on a head-to-head in qualifying for Euro 2022.
Alongside her new academic role, Ludlow, a qualified physiotherapist, will continue to work with Fifa and Uefa, the governing bodies of world and European football respectively.
She is a coaching mentor at Fifa and is also a member of the organisation's global football development technical leadership team.
She is also part of Uefa's technical observer team for Champions League competitions.
Ludlow will help oversee on-campus degrees in her new role at USW, where she received an honorary fellowship in 2019, the same year she was awarded an MBE for services to football.
Dr James Grevelle, USW's dean of the faculty of life sciences and education, said: "Jayne joins us with her extensive experience having worked tirelessly to promote football and inspire more girls into the sport.
"We welcome her input as we continue to towards USW's vision to change lives and our world for the better."
Ludlow won 61 caps for Wales as a player and, during 13 years at Arsenal, captained the team to Champions League success in 2007 as well as winning an historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup medals in 2001.