The FA have today appointed former Norway midfielder Hege Riise and ex-Canadian international Rhian Wilkinson to their coaching staff.
Riise will lead England Women to their February camp, with a Team GB head coach yet to be decided for the upcoming Olympics.
The two have agreed to short-term contracts having previously applied for the assistant coach role which was made vacant when Rehanne Skinner moved to Tottenham Hotspur last November.
It follows Monday's news that Phil Neville has stepped down from his role as Lionesses manager
What they said
Riise, who had managed LSV Kvinner in Norway’s top flight, where she won the title seven times, spoke of her excitement to join the Lionesses: “I'm excited about the opportunity I've been given to work with England Women. This is a proud and ambitious team that I look forward to working with and I am confident of making a positive impact when I meet up with the squad in February."
Wilkinson won 181 caps for Canada and helped them to win back-to-back bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games before turning to coaching. The former full-back is looking forward to her new position: “I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and staff, and it is a privilege to work alongside Hege Riise who I have already worked closely with as a player and coach.”
‘Significant inernational experience’
The FA’s Director of Women’s Football said that she was looking forward to having Riise and Wilkinson join England’s behind-the-scenes setup.
“I am delighted to welcome Hege Riise and Rhian Wilkinson to the England coaching team, having had positive discussions with them in recent weeks,” said Baroness Sue Campbell.
They bring significant international experience and will help guide our players before the arrival of Sarina Wiegman as our new head coach to lead us into the home EURO in 2022. Once February is complete, we will sit down and assess the Lionesses situation and consider next steps for Team GB in consultation with the home nations and the British Olympic Association.
At the same time, we are committed to helping English coaching talent as underlined by the announcement made last month about a number of roles across development teams. The Lionesses pathway has already helped Casey Stoney, Bev Priestman and Rehanne Skinner to secure prominent roles in the game and we are confident more will follow.”