Jayne Ludlow

Jayne Ludlow
Personal information
Full name Jayne Louise Ludlow[1]
Date of birth (1979-01-07) 7 January 1979
Place of birth Llwynypia, Wales
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Wales (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Barry Town Ladies
Millwall Lionesses
Southampton Saints
2000–2013 Arsenal Ladies
2005 → New York Magic (loan)[2] 6 (3)
National team
1996–2012 Wales 61 (19)
Teams managed
2013–2014 Reading
2014– Wales
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Jayne Louise Ludlow (born 7 January 1979) is a Welsh football coach and former player. She is the Wales women's national football team manager. In 2018, she was inducted onto the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame Roll of Honour along with Roy Francis (Rugby League), Lynne Thomas (Cricket / Hockey), Kelly Morgan (Badminton) and Becky James (Cycling).

As a midfielder, Ludlow represented Arsenal for 13 years, and captained the Welsh national team until her international retirement in 2012. Ludlow also skippered the Gunners and is as well Arsenal Ladies' highest goalscorer of all time.[3][4]

Club career

Ludlow's father had been a professional football player, and she began her own football career early, playing with a boys' team before having to stop aged 12.[5] Ludlow enjoyed a promising junior career in athletics, being the British record holder in the triple jump at Under-17 level and also representing the UK at the Under-20s level.[6] She also represented Wales at netball and basketball.[5][7] Ludlow decided to focus on football, but had to travel to Barry Town to play since there were no girls' teams in the South Wales Valleys.[5][8]

Ludlow won a scholarship to University of Pennsylvania in the United States, but left months into the four-year course due to dissatisfaction with the standard of football.[5][8] She then moved to London and played for Millwall Lionesses and Southampton Saints while completing a physiotherapy degree at King's College, London.[8]

Joining Arsenal in 2000, Ludlow scored 28 goals from midfield as she helped the Gunners to a domestic treble in her first season. At the time, manager Vic Akers described her as "the best box-to-box player in the women's game".[8] She was voted Players' Player of the Year in 2001, an achievement she repeated in 2003 and 2004. In 2007 Ludlow was a key part of the side which won an unprecedented quadruple, scoring 24 goals.[9][3][4] In the 2005 off-season she returned to the United States to play for New York Magic.[2]

She stayed loyal to Arsenal to become vice-captain and later captain of the side.[4][3][10]

During Arsenal's 1–0 league win at Everton in April 2010, Ludlow was red carded for an "aggressive outburst" at opponent Fara Williams.[11] This meant that club captain Ludlow was suspended for the 2010 FA Women's Cup Final, in which Arsenal were beaten by Everton.

In July 2013 after a succession of injuries Ludlow announced her retirement from playing, indicating a desire to focus on her role as an academy coach with Arsenal Ladies and Wales. Altogether with Arsenal Ludlow won nine league titles, six FA Cups, a UEFA Women's Cup. Ludlow is as well Arsenal Ladies highest goal scorer of all time.[12][4][3]

International career

Ludlow won her first senior Wales cap at the age of 17, against the Republic of Ireland in February 1996.[13]

In November 2010 she returned to the fold following the appointment of new coach Jarmo Matikainen.[14] Ludlow then won her 50th cap, and scored her 18th goal, in captaining Wales to an 8–1 win over Bulgaria.[15]

When Ludlow retired from international football in October 2012, she was described by Matikainen as "the most successful player that Wales has ever had".[16]

Coaching career

In August 2013, Ludlow accepted a position as manager and director of Reading, who had successfully bid for a place in the FA WSL 2.[17] She stepped down from the role at the end of the 2014 FA WSL season, after being appointed manager of the Wales women's national football team on 2 October 2014.[18]

Playing Style

Ludlow's sought to mimic Pele in terms of her playing style to at first. She went on to model her game upon players such as Roy Keane to become a more orthodox midfielder.[3][5] Ludlow has also often been compared with fellow Gunner Freddie Ljungberg to her delight.[19][20]

As a coach she has as well worked alongside Patrick Vieira. Vieira has gone on to state that he not only enjoyed working with Ludlow but that she expanded his knowledge of coaching altogether.[21]

Managerial statistics

As of 31 August 2018
Team From To Record
GWDLWin %
Reading 30 August 2013 2 October 2014 22 14 3 5 063.64
Wales 2 October 2014 Present 39 15 13 11 038.46
Total 61 29 16 16 047.54

Personal Life

Ludlow is also a big fan of Arsenal.[20]

Honours

Arsenal

Individual

  • FA Players' Player of the Year Award: (3) 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Jayne Ludlow". UEFA. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  2. 1 2 "New York Magic". USLsoccer.com. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Brumsack, Nik (11 July 2013). "'I've enjoyed every single minute'". Arsenal.com. Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Jayne Ludlow announces retirement". Arsenal.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Profile and interview". BBC. 11 July 2002. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  6. ↑ Neil Wilson (30 May 2003). "Where have all the athletes gone? Kids love the sport and so do the elite. . . but those in between are quitting in droves". Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Emma Robertson (3 September 1995). "Schoolgirl with the world at her feet". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Sarah Potter (6 October 2001). "Ludlow leaps on to bigger stage". The Times. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  9. ↑ "Statistics 2006–2007". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  10. ↑ "Short profile". Arsenal FC.
  11. ↑ "Ladies lose to the Gunners". Everton F.C. 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  12. ↑ "Arsenal Ladies Legend Jayne Ludlow "very proud" to be new manager of Wales Women". Wales Online.co.uk.
  13. ↑ "Jayne Ludlow". UEFA.
  14. ↑ Tony Leighton (21 November 2010). "Arsenal's Jayne Ludlow returns to Wales's colours against Bulgaria". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  15. ↑ "Match Report – Wales 8 – 1 Bulgaria". FAW.org.uk.
  16. ↑ "Arsenal's Jayne Ludlow calls time on Wales career". British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "Jayne Ludlow appointed Reading Manager". She Kicks. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  18. ↑ "National Women's Teams Manager - Jayne Ludow". Football Association of Wales. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "Rhondda's top Gunner has City in her sights". Wales Online.co.uk.
  20. 1 2 "Sportswomen of the Year: Top gunner". The Times.co.uk.
  21. ↑ "It's not unusual… to coach in Wales". The Sun.co.uk.
  22. ↑ "England (Women) 2003/04". RSSF.com.
  23. ↑ "Ludlow sets Arsenal new target". UEFA.com.
  24. ↑ "England (Women) 2001/02". RSSF.com.
  25. 1 2 "ARSENAL LADIES MAKE HISTORY". Goal.com.
  26. ↑ "Arsenal women retain Super League title with victory over Doncaster". The Guardian.com.
  27. ↑ "Arsenal take English WSL title". UEFA.com.
  28. ↑ "Arsenal 4-1 Birmingham". FAWSL.com.
  29. ↑ "Arsenal Ladies 1-0 Birmingham City". FAWSL.com.
  30. ↑ "FA Cup win secures Arsenal Double". BBC.co.uk.
  31. ↑ "Arsenal enjoy Fleeting moment". The Guardian.com.
  32. ↑ "Arsenal 5 Leeds 0: Yankey leads march in Arsenal cup coup". Independent.co.uk.
  33. ↑ "League Cup Final: Doncaster 0-5 Arsenal". Arsenal.com.
  34. ↑ "Arsenal put rivals in their place". The Guardian.com.
  • "Short profile". Arsenal FC.
  • "Profile and interview". BBC. 11 July 2002. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
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