November 11, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Orlando Pride News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Pride has announced the promotion of Seb Hines to Head Coach, effective immediately, signing a multi-year contract to lead the Pride.
“Seb is a talented coach that has demonstrated great leadership and an ability to get the most out of his players, while also establishing an inclusive and competitive team culture. He stepped into a difficult position this year, handling it with professionalism and brought about many positive changes both on and off the field for our Club,” Orlando Pride Chairman Mark Wilf said. “After evaluating what we want the future for the Pride to be, listening to player feedback and discussing with Seb, it became very clear that he has earned the opportunity to continue leading our Club. We are very excited to see what he can keep building with a full offseason and preseason ahead of the 2023 campaign. Seb has been an incredibly dedicated and passionate member of our organization and we are thrilled to have him as the next head coach for the Orlando Pride.”
A former defender in the English Premier League, Hines was named the Club’s interim head coach on June 7, 2022, leading the Pride over the final 15 matches of the 2022 season. During that time, the Pride went on a seven-game unbeaten run from July 3 to Aug. 20, and saw increases in the team’s averages on shots, shot on target and passing accuracy, as well as three total clean sheets.
Hines takes over as head coach after eight years as a member of the Orlando Pride and Orlando City family. A native of Wetherby, England, Hines first came to Orlando in 2015, playing three seasons with Orlando City SC in Major League Soccer. Following his retirement, Hines began shadowing former Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni in 2018 and continued as a volunteer assistant over the next two seasons, ultimately hired as a full-time assistant under Marc Skinner in 2020.
In September, Hines earned his USSF A License, which he completed while serving as the team’s interim head coach.
At the time of his interim appointment, Hines became the first Black head coach in the NWSL and now makes history as the league’s first-ever Black full-time head coach.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity and look forward to leading the Pride ahead of the 2023 NWSL season. Orlando is a diverse and dynamic city, and I’m excited to build a team identity that reflects the values of our club and our community-a team…