Willie Kirk

Honours:

Hibernian L.F.C Women:

• 2014 – Winners Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup
• 2010 – Winners Scottish Women’s Cup
• 2011 – Runners-up Scottish Women’s Cup

Everton Women:

• 2020 – FA CUP Finalist

Individual

• 2013 – Scottish Women’s Football Manager of the Year

About Willie Kirk

Willie began managing at Preston Athletic, after playing as part of their squad. In 2006 his managerial career kick started when he became Assistant Academy Coach for Livingston FC under-14 team. He advanced to Head Coach of the under-14 team and then all age groups through to the under-17 team.

In March 2009, Willie moved to Hibernian. This was initially as an Academy Coach but he was soon appointed as the Women’s Head Coach. During his first season in charge of Hibs, Willie led them to the Scottish Cup in 2010 and followed that with a League Cup triumph in 2011. Two years later, Hibs finished second and Willie won the Scottish Women’s Football Manager of the Year Award.

Between 2014 – 2016, Willie departed Hibernian to take up a role with the Scottish FA as their High-Performance Football Manager, before becoming Bristol City Women’s Head Coach, leading them to WSL promotion in 2016, and securing back-to-back eighth-place finishes in the following two Women’s Super League campaigns.

In June 2018, Willie joined the coaching staff at the newly formed Manchester United W.F.C. as an Assistant to Casey Stoney, for six months before being appointed manager of Everton in the December of that year.

In 2022, Willie was appointed Leicester City’s Club Director of Football, Women and Girls – responsible for delivering sustained on-pitch performance, academy excellence and technical growth, while taking a leading role in creating a motivated and successful environment at Belvoir Drive. In November 2022, the board decided that Willie would become the new Women’s First Team manager, after the departure Lydia Bedford, on a permanent basis.

Off the pitch, Willie is a devoted father to one-year-old son Finley and can be found either on the golf course, horse racing or cooking!