Jamie Sherwood | This is a real honour, I want to re-energise this team

Jamie Sherwood says it is an honour to be named first-team manager of Swansea City Women, and has set his sights on re-energising the club as the targets silverware in SA1.

The vastly-experienced 46-year-old has been involved in football for over 20 years, across roles in men’s, women’s and college football, as well as holding positions in academy and education

Sherwood most notably guided Yeovil Town Ladies to the top tier of the English Women’s game when they won the Women’s Super League 2 title in 2016.

He hopes his extensive range of skills and knowledge will aid him in his new role, and admitted the chance to take charge of a club with a proud history of success was one he was excited to accept.

“It’s a huge club, with a rich tradition and heritage, not only in Welsh football but throughout the UK, so to be here as first-team manager is exciting, it’s an honour and a privilege,” said Sherwood.

“There is a little bit of work to do to get this club back to where we firmly believe it should be, and I can’t wait to get started.

“This club has won silverware throughout the seasons, and throughout its history. So, for the club to be two seasons, it gives us a chance to re-energise the squad and make sure we are ready to compete on all levels on and off the pitch.

“We want to become the best we can be as individuals. If we become the best we can be, the group will become stronger and the club will cement its place where it is supposed to be again; at the top of the table.

“The discussions I had over the role were obviously really positive. Having Alice [Weekes], the first ever head of women’s football, really cements the programme in the club and shows how important and integral it is. 

“Meeting Andy Coleman, it really cemented to me that the club values this programme and it wants to embed elite practices into every programme, and the women’s team is no different.

“We have a strong heritage with past players, past managers, and the values to take the club forward will be built on the foundations of the people before us and dictate how we build them going forward.

“The players are in off season, so it allows us to present what we want to do moving forward. We have a group of players that we want to keep, and we’ve got our targets that we want to go and sign. 

“Giving us the time to build into the season allows that happen, we’ve got a pre-season to plan, we’ve got a backroom team to create and I am eager to get down to work.”

Sherwood is no stranger to a semi-professional environment, having led Yeovil and Electric City, who were both semi-professional outfits during his time with them.

The Swans themselves made the transition to semi-pro status in the summer of 2023, and Sherwood feels his experience within elite footballing environments can be a big asset.

“We will have an approach that is elite and that is what we want to be,” said Sherwood.

“I’ve found myself in numerous different elite environments in my time within football, so we’ll take every part of what we consider elite sport and bring it in as a part of our journey, and how we transition from where we are to where we want to be. 

“I’d like to think my experience over the years will help us do that. We will find different obstacles but, with the group of people around me, I don’t see them being obstacles we cannot overcome.

“My experiences have shaped me as a person, I think everything that I’ve done previously - and the players have done previously - will be brought together to find the right recipe to get the output that we want, which is silverware, and we need to make sure we achieve that as soon as we possibly can.

“I see massive similarities to my time at Yeovil, we took a team from amateur status to, semi-professional status, into professional status. The growth of the club on and off the pitch was crucial to how we developed the product.

“It was a magical time for everyone involved, staff, players, and supporters, I really feel that this is the same opportunity. 

“The foundations are here, the journey is going to be similar. The journey won’t be exactly the same, but I hope the feeling is the same.”

Sherwood joins Swansea City acutely aware of the club’s reputation for playing attractive possession-based football, and he is keen to produce a side that fits that identity.

“We want to possess the ball, it’s part of the clubs DNA and we want to value what this club brings to the game,” said Sherwood.

“We want a team that is together, believes in the project, believes in each other, trusts each other, and that’s the group and personalities we want to knit together.

“When we go onto the pitch we want a group of players that can solve problems. The opposition are there to cause problems and it is down to the collective to solve them. I want the team to be front-footed, aggressive, maximise every opportunity and take on the opposition.

“It will be a collective effort, we have solid foundations to build on, there is a good group of players here, a good set of values, a DNA to the club, and now we want everything we do to maximise the foundations we are building on.”

Sherwood will be looking to bring Swansea their first piece of silverware since 2022, but understands that there are also wider goals within his role.

Working alongside head of women’s football Alice Weekes, Sherwood wants to help grow the women’s game across south-west Wales, and hopes the players can also be a force in that development.

“I think building the women’s and girls’ game is huge, you can’t be what you can’t see, so if there are no role models there for girls, they won’t aspire to be the next Katy Hosford, the next Stacey John-Davis, so we need to make sure we give our players a platform and a product to grow,” he added.

“Everyone loves a winning product, everyone loves a winning team, so the more winning we do on the pitch the more winning we will do off the pitch. From there, the more we do off the pitch will lead to more winning on the pitch, it’s a complete circle and it will be continuous.

“It’s our job to create a sustainable programme that has a legacy in this area and across south Wales. Everyone will know what Swansea City Women stand for, what it looks like and we make sure we deliver that product.

“We want our players to be role models, have our players going into schools, creating a buzz, getting supporters down to the ground. 

“We will do whatever it takes, we will be accessible and that is a huge shift for football. All of that mixed with a winning product is a recipe for success.”