We spoke with Cardiff City LFC Reserves Manager, Charlotte Preen, who has had a mixed debut season in charge with a league title but a cup final defeat on penalties and a tooth knocked out.
SK: When did you first think about getting into coaching?
CP: I first considered getting into coaching when I was about 16. I had my first ACL reconstruction at that age, which was a real eye-opener so young. I realised then that my playing career wouldn’t last forever, so it was then I thought about coaching.
SK: Tell us about your coaching career and experience before taking charge of the Reserves this season.
CP: Luckily, since I started coaching 10 years ago, I have had great opportunities. I first started off just coaching for summer camps and weekend classes for younger children. During my rehab from my ACL reconstruction, I was manager of UWIC Women’s 2nds, now Cardiff Met and recently Cardiff University Women for 3 years. I am head coach of Gwent Development Squad U-10s and joint head coach of the U-14s, which is a great set up. In the past two summers I have been fortunate to go to America and coach for four and two months respecitvely. That was a fantastic experience, coaching from ages as young as 2 all the way to 18! I’ve recently gained my FAW/UEFA B Licence too.
SK: What were your priorities and hopes before the current campaign began?
CP: After having a year out last season due to being in America, the club underwent many changes which also included the loss of many players. When I first started the role, the reserves section struggled in terms of numbers in the squad. Once we assembled a squad, the aim for the season was just to maintain a starting eleven each week and be able to fulfil the fixtures. I knew I had a tough job ahead so I planned on taking each week at a time.
SK: What have the highs and lows of the season been (and perhaps the funniest too)?
CP: Undoubtedly the high of the season was winning the league, just dropping two points along the way. Another high was making history and reaching the Reserves Premier League Cup Final. Unfortunately we went on to lose the game on penalties which was probably our low of the season. For a team who have averaged a squad size of 12 players a week, to technically not lose a game in 90 minutes all season is seen as something quite remarkable!
The season has seen some comical moments, but in our semi-final against Leicester in the 10th minute, I had a nasty accident involving two Leicester players. The incident was totally innocent, but saw me having one tooth knocked out, one knocked loose and having mild concussion. Unfortunately for me, we had no subs so I was forced to play the rest of the match but luckily we went on to win the match.
SK: Do you have something of a ‘conveyor belt’ of players coming through, what with three strongly-performing senior sides and girls’ section?
CP: The club has a fantastic set up in terms of youngsters feeding through the ranks. I was fortunate enough to start out in the juniors, starting off at the club at the age of 11 then feeding through to the senior section at 14. This is something that has continued very well and is a huge factor in why we have strong senior sections. Last season the club started a Development Team which plays in the Welsh League. This is a stepping stone from our 16’s into senior football. So next season we should see some of these players in the reserves or 1st team, as there are some promising players in the squad that can definitely move up and help to maintain the success we are achieving in the senior sides.
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