Bev Priestman: On changing the colour of the medal and more

It’s been a whirlwind nine months for Bev Priestman.

She was appointed coach of the Canadian women’s team on Oct. 28, 2020, taking over from Kenneth Heiner-Møller after she previously served as an assistant coach under Phil Neville with England’s national team.

This week, she’ll lead Canada into battle at the Tokyo Olympics, as the Reds open their tournament against Japan on Wednesday. For Priestman, a 35-year-old native of Consett, England, it hasn’t been an ideal lead up to the Olympics, thanks to the global pandemic, as she’s had less time with her team than she would have had under normal circumstances.

“You have to be decisive when you have a small amount of time; it actually forces you to be a little bit more narrow in your focus, so that’s been good. But the reality of trying to plan camps and get ready for the Olympics, that part of it is very stressful,” Priestman said.

In this extensive one-on-one interview with TFC Republic, Priestman discusses the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the path she took to get the Canadian coaching job, her biggest career influences, Christine Sinclair's future, balancing family life with soccer, and much more.