The wait is finally over: the Canadian women's team has a new head coach. Canada Soccer announced on Wednesday morning that Bev Priestman has been given charge of the senior team, effective Nov. 1. Priestman, a 34-year-old native of Consett, England, is no stranger to the Canadian setup, having spent five years working for Canada Soccer. She previously served as national director of the EXCEL program (for U-15 to U-23 levels) and coached Canada's women's youth teams at the FIFA U-17 World Cup twice, as well as the Concacaf U-20 and U-15 Championships. She also served as an assistant coach under John Herdman during his time in charge of the senior women's team, having worked with Canada at the 2015 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Since leaving Canada Soccer in 2018, Priestman has worked for England's women's football program, serving as coach of the U-18 national team. She also worked as an assistant coach under Phil Neville for England's senior women's side, helping them to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 FIFA World Cup. Priestman's qualifications include a UEFA A Diploma and she is currently working toward a UEFA Pro License. "We are extremely pleased to welcome Bev Priestman back to Canada Soccer as our women’s national team head coach," Canada Soccer president Steven Reed said in a media release. "Bev’s contributions leading the Women’s National EXCEL Program and supporting the women’s national team as an assistant coach during her five years with Canada Soccer set a solid foundation for success across all levels of the women's national team program and we are excited to have her bring her recent experience, vision and leadership to her new role." "It is an honour and privilege to return to Canada to lead such a talented group of players and a team with a fantastic history," Priestman added. Priestman takes over from Kenneth Heiner-Møller, who left as women's team coach this past summer. He'd been in charge since Herdman's departure in 2018, leading Canada at the 2019 World Cup and the qualification campaign for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The new coach's first test will be those Tokyo Olympics, which were rescheduled to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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