Peterborough United women make major addition and confirm new look backroom team ahead of first season at tier 3

Boss Jake Poole has brought in former Burnley Women manager Lou Roberts as a coach for the upcoming season as Posh take on the Women’s National League North after becoming Division One Midlands champions at a canter.

Roberts was named Burnley’s assistant manager in November 2023 before going onto become interim manager until her resignation in February.

She guided the Clarets to the FA Women’s National League Cup semi-finals and has Burnley top of the Women’s National League North and unbeaten when she left. Burnley went onto become champions and earn promotion to WSL2 from the division Posh have been promoted into for the upcoming season.

Roberts will work alongside Jake Poole, Michael Anderson and Emily Sharpe in the Posh backroom team following a summer reshuffle that has seen goalkeeper coach Steve Corry, coach Ricki Pledger, strength and conditioning coach Shivani Ranjit, analyst Chris Powell and General Manager Sam Winch all depart.

The club has also confirmed that physiotherapist Sam Palmer will continue in his role alongside new strength and conditioning coach Bayleigh Roe. Sophie Powell will be the club's new goalkeeping coach with Nathan Reed continuing in his role as player care lead.

Roberts said: “I am really looking forward to it, there is a real good ambition at the football club, there are really good people here and a good platform for us to push on and be progressive.

"I know Jake well, we have worked together previously and the fixture between Burnley and Posh in the Adobe Women's FA Cup last season provided mixed emotions, it was great to be competing against each other but I think I will enjoy being in the same technical area with him this season.

"Tier 3 is competitive, there are a lot of different playing styles at this level, our job is to prepare the group of girls to be able to compete at the level and we are looking forward to that challenge."

Poole added: “I know Lou well and have had a good friendship with her for a number of years. We worked together in my other role and always felt we would work together again. Lou has achieved a lot of things in the last few years with Stoke City and more recently Burnley and I am really excited that she is going to bring that experience and quality with her as we embark on new challenges at a new level.

"She has played at Tier 3 for a long time prior to her coaching career and she brings passion and drive and an unbelievable work ethic and real quality of work. We are really pleased because she will bring a different dynamic to the group, we know that we need to move forward on the pitch, but also off it too and she will help do that for us.

"I think it is a major credit to the club that we have become an attractive proposition, not just on the pitch, but off it too, people want to come and work for us. It is just as important to have the right backroom staff. We have got a real good blend now.

"Emily Sharpe comes with a wealth of playing experience, she is a really good leader and has shown that both and off the pitch in the last two years, Michael Anderson has a lot of game knowledge and is so good on the training pitch and the players respond really well to that.

"Lou will bring a different dynamic on and off the training pitch. We wanted to put together a competitive squad to compete in Tier 3, but we also wanted to assemble the best coaching staff and I am confident we have that now."