The Long Island Lady Riders have announced that Emma Hayes will take over the reins of the very successful W-League franchise. She is the sixth head coach in Lady Riders' history and their second female head coach, following in the footsteps of Kim Wyant, who led the squad to a 7-3-1 record last summer after taking over from Phil Schools. Wyant will be returning to the playing field for the 2002 season.

"We looked at several candidates for Lady Riders coach and are very excited about hiring Emma Hayes," commented team chairman Chuck Jacob, "She has already become familiar with the Lady Riders' program and brings a lot of enthusiasm to her new position. Her technical knowledge is excellent. We consider her an up-and-coming young women's coach, and that reflects in her high energy level and ability to relate to today's young players in the W-League."

Ms. Hayes, a 25-year-old resident of Roslyn, grew up in London where she was a huge supporter of Tottenham Hotspur. As fate would have it, she wound up patrolling the midfield for Spurs' rival Arsenal from 1988 to 1996, leading the squad to five national championships.

Ms. Hayes moved into the coaching ranks, taking control of the University of Liverpool women's side from 1997 to 1999, leading the team to a top four

finish. In 1999, she moved back to London to develop youth players, specifically those with Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace.

Ms. Hayes came to the United States in April of this year to work with Major League Soccer camps. She has coaching licenses with UEFA and Futbol de Salao.

"I believe in producing attractive soccer and strongly believe in training. I will bring the European philosophy of total soccer to the Lady Riders," she commented.

Her goals are to "provide opportunities for Long Island soccer players to develop in a good soccer environment and to win a national championship," Hayes stated.

At 25 years old, she will be put in the unusual spot of a coach being younger than half the players on her new team.