Football Ferns assistant coach Natalie Lawrence has been appointed manager of English FA Women’s Championship club Lewes.
Lawrence (40) takes on the role after joining the club in September 2023 as assistant to Scott Booth, who left the club after his contract expired at the end of the Championship season.
“The club is delighted to have a manager with extensive international experience. Nat will play an integral role in the New Zealand national team’s 2023 World Cup campaign,” the club said in a statement.
“We are proud to confirm that she will be part of the New Zealand coaching team at the 2024 Olympic Games in France.”
Born in England, Lawrence returned to the UK in 2023 after working as assistant coach of the Football Ferns at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and deciding not to seek re-election as head coach of the Wellington Phoenix Women’s A-League team.
Main photo: Nat Lawrence …will coach Lewes in the English FA Women’s Championship next season. Image credit: Lewes FC.
The East Sussex club Lewes plays in the second tier of English FA Women’s Championship and counts Football Fern Katie Rood among its former players.
Lynne Burrell, Head of Women’s Football at Lewes, said: “Nat has shown a high level of football understanding and a desire to support the development of players, which is in line with our philosophy.
“It is great that Nat has been promoted from assistant manager to this role. She is the perfect person to help us rebuild and lay a solid foundation for the growth of women’s football at Lewes FC.”
Lawrence said: “It feels incredible. It’s been a long road to get here, but I’m delighted to be staying with the club for the 2024/25 season and taking on a new role.”
“We are in a transition phase in which we have to realign, regroup and rebuild. It is exciting to be part of this.”
Booth was manager at Lewes for two seasons, leading the club to a record-breaking run in the FA Cup in the 2022–23 season, which saw the club reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history.
Managing director Maggie Murphy said: “We are grateful for Scott’s hard work and dedication over the last two seasons and at a time of increasing professionalism at the club. We wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
Lawrence moved to New Zealand in 2010 and worked for Capital Football from 2012 to 2015, where she coached the association’s team in the Women’s National League.
After a stint in Canada where she headed the Vancouver Whitecaps academy program, she returned to Wellington where she coached Team Wellington’s men’s team in the National Youth League.
Lawrence became assistant to head coach Gemma Lewis for Phoenix’s inaugural Women’s A-League team, taking over the leadership role following Lewis’ departure in 2022.
This story was first published on July 8, 2024.
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