Getting To Know Ed Jackson-Norris, Reading Women’s New Manager
Ed Jackson-Norris was recently appointed as the Royals’ gaffer, alongside new assistant Max Scott.
After the shock departure of Pedro Bruno and Shelley Strange, any fears about the future for Reading Women were quickly allayed when, just over a week later, Ed Jackson-Norris was announced as the new first-team manager, making the short journey across Berkshire after three successful seasons with the Maidenhead United Women’s first team.
Before he’d even met the players - the first training session set for that evening (in the 30 degree heat!) - Jackson-Norris kindly agreed to meet with TTE to talk about his excitement to take on the role, his time at Maidenhead, the challenges that tier-five football brings, as well as his aims, objectives and the forthcoming season overall.
If you’ve seen any of the official press releases to date (the media aspect is already a move in the right direction), you’ll notice he’s clearly delighted to be here, “buzzing to be part of the football club again” (he’s previously worked for the Community Trust) and to be at “such a massive club with a rich history in the game”.
We caught up in a local coffee house (Bubble Frappé for the new boss) and, as if to underline the excitement around the announcement, we were beaten to our opening ‘congratulations on the new role’ by a couple of passing friends who stopped to express their best wishes and good luck to Jackson-Norris for the season ahead!
“Thank you, it’s really exciting,” beamed Reading Women’s proud new manager.
A time of change for Reading Women
Although the Women’s team (and pathway) continues under the stewardship and financial control of the Community Trust (which isn’t a bad thing at all), there’s already a palpable positive feeling around the place, following the wider change of ownership of Reading Football Club, as Jackson-Norris recalls:
“When I was talking to some of my old friends at the Community Trust, after I left (and under the old regime), there was an unusual feel around the place. It wasn’t necessarily a fear for their jobs within the Community Trust, but that there was such a negative air around the club.
“But already, talking to people around the club now, you can sense a difference. It certainly seems that way and I think that also seems to be reflected on social media as well with supporters.”
The first-team manager position has also evolved for the better too, changing from last season’s part-time role to a full-time position. So how’s the new manager filling his time?
“At Maidenhead United Women, [my time] was split between a few different roles, managing the Women’s team, head of coaching for the club and looking after the girls’ performance as well - which was [Maidenhead United’s] version of a girls academy for the underage groups.
“And in a sense it’s similar here [at the Community Trust] to begin with. A lot of my day-to-day stuff will be everything to do with the Women’s team, and then another part of my role is developing the pathway, and being a lead for player development as well, helping support coaches who coach in the ETC (emerging talent centre) in the 14-16 age groups - putting on CPD (continuous professional development) events for them - and being visible to those guys and and trying to get to as many sessions as possible, making sure that the pathway is able to grow, supporting Emma Hopkins with whatever she needs.”
He’s a manager with not only experience at this level but success too:
“We did well in the three years at Maidenhead United Women. We won two pieces of silverware: the Berks & Bucks Cup last season* and Combined Counties League Cup in 2023/2024.
*Maidenhead knocked out Reading in the semi-finals.
“We got the most points that we’ve ever achieved in a National League season, the most goals (97 in all competitions in 2023/2024) and got the team into the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in something like 140-odd years (for the club, men and women) and the National League Cup for the first time as well.
“We established the development team, which we had not had before, and they won a cup last year and made the national semi-final, and we had 37 teenagers play National League minutes in the three years that I was there as well.
“So we did loads of things really well on and off the pitch.”
But he’s modest with it too - Jackson-Norris acknowledging others within the whole package:
“I was very, very lucky that there were some really good people behind the scenes. I managed to inherit a small but very good group and we added quality people to it as well. I think I got lucky with it. Good people.”
There was more positive news for the set-up when Max Scott, who worked with Jackson-Norris at Maidenhead United Women, was confirmed as the Women’s first-team assistant manager (to be accurate, in his keenness, Scott announced this himself!):
“Yes, Max is coming onboard as my assistant manager, he worked with me last year.
“There’s a lot of comfort in the familiarity and he knows our work - he was actually one of my students within the Community Trust education programmes - so we know we can hit the ground running with that. He works incredibly hard.
“The great thing about him is that I can’t have people [around me who] just agree with what I’m saying and he’s very, very good at disagreeing with me, and very good at playing devil’s advocate and providing an alternative opinion.”
Building on last season’s foundations
If last year was ‘rebuild and survive’, this year feels much more positive, with the club looking to progress and build upon the foundations that Bruno, Hopkins (head of women’s football) and the wider team worked so hard to achieve last season. That starts with the expansion of a core network to support the Women’s team:
“We had our first staff meeting on Monday night. There’s going to be nine of us as a support team this year for the group. So it’s a big support team. We’re just finalising what exactly that looks like in terms of job roles and anything else that goes alongside that.
“Ryan Robinson will be joining us as the goalkeeping coach. He will be familiar to some Royals fans last season - dividing his time between helping the Community Trust and his role as manager of Maidenhead United Women’s development team - he was a very busy boy last year!
“[There are a few still to be sorted but] there will also be a physiotherapist, strength and conditioning coach, and an analyst/player coach to name a few.”
And of course, Angy King, Football in Berkshire’s Volunteer of the Season for 2024/2025 (thoroughly deserved too), will continue in her role as the Women’s chaplain - and so much more!
“Yes, she’s part of my nine. She’s a really important part, actually. I said it at the group meeting on Monday. If we do our job right, I think she’ll probably be the most important member of the team. So we’re in a good spot, which is exciting.”
Training will be a bit more joined-up this season too, with the first-team sessions following on from the under-16s, giving the younger pathway girls the chance to meet, watch and learn from the senior team.
In fact, after our chat, Jackson-Norris was heading off to oversee his first training session to begin preparation for the new season. Had he met any of the players yet?
“Some I know already and some are on holiday, so I’ll meet them when they get back, and the rest I’ll meet tonight, as well as a lot of new faces - with recruitment (open trial applications) happening over the last couple of weeks.
“The original plans were to start pre-season a little bit later, but I want to get going now as there were some good numbers of interest (about 30 players invited back for trials) and, to be fair, a good pedigree, looking at some of the names on the list.”
So what does an ideal squad size look like? Remember: there isn’t really a transfer window and Reading Women can, pretty much, register players throughout the season.
“I think in an ideal world, the ideal would be to have around 20-21 signed up for the year.
“We want to try and leave space for any of the 16s who it would be appropriate for them to step up and train, and maybe get a little bit of action in the second half of the season - where we think that’s going to be right for them.
“And then obviously lots comes down to injuries and stuff as well, doesn’t it? I know that last season Reading had a big issue with injuries in the group, making numbers difficult for some matches.”
Pre-season preparations
Last season there wasn’t any time for Reading to organise any pre-season friendlies. In preparation for 2025/26 the team have the luxury (or normality) of five matches arranged - starting with an away fixture at Leatherhead on Sunday July 27 - and including a friendly against Jackson-Norris’ old team, Maidenhead United Women, (arranged before his move over to the Royals).
What is he looking to get out of these friendlies?
“We haven’t put in any friendlies earlier as we want the next two and a half weeks to give us think time on the training ground (and maybe even use a spare Sunday as an extra session) to build the social connections between the group and try and get us a little bit closer to the final 20-21 [players] that we want to start the season with.
“We want to win every match but, in terms of games, if we win half, lose half, that really doesn’t bother me pre-season. The idea is just to get meaningful minutes, get reps out of the tactical themes that we will go through in the next few weeks and (perhaps) the most important bit is the social connections as well.
“There’s going to be a lot of new faces and we want to try and build those relationships as quickly as possible.”
In an ideal world, does he have a particular football style or formation that he particularly likes to play?
“I was asked this during the week too. I don’t have a set formation and it depends on the group that you’ve got and the profile of the players.
“But in terms of football, it’s about entertainment, isn’t it? You want to see the team playing on the front foot, you want to see your team score goals and try to be expansive and be on the ball.
“You’ve then got the values of the club that you want to get built in - you want to see a team that works hard and that will run through brick walls for the badge and for the supporters.
“In a very general nutshell, you’ll see a team that tries to be on the ball a lot and will try to play, will be front-footed and will be really aggressive in everything we do in and out of possession.
“We will very much be a team that works incredibly hard.
“One of the challenges that we are going to set tonight [at the first training session] is that we have to be the fittest team in the league because that allows you to do everything else - it’s a bare minimum and something that you can be in control of.
“Fittest, most supported and the most positive team in the league.”
And, smiling, he adds:
“And anything deeper than that, you’ll have to come and watch.”
With Beaconsfield Town and Fleet Town promoted, Southampton Women relegated and Badshot Lea and Selsey reprieved, the league has now grown to 12 teams for 2025/26. Is it possible to have much knowledge about the teams in our division?
“At Maidenhead United Women we had very limited resources financially and we always had to shop a level below, looking for players in tier five who were doing well and hungry to try and stretch themselves.
“So, by design, I always got the chance to watch a few games, including Reading Women, in order to prep for the Berks & Bucks semi-final match.
“So we know a bit about the league and we’ve managed to get a good amount of footage of the majority of the teams, not just when they played against Reading but when sides played each other as well - so we’ve got a good idea of what we are going to be facing.”
And with a wry smile, he adds:
“Famous last words, eh?”
It looks to be a very competitive league, with some good teams boasting established structures and set-ups too. Has he set any objectives for the season ahead?
“Yeah, we want to win it, we want to try and win the league.
“We want to get through the divisions as quickly - but as financially responsible - as possible. We’re not going to throw money at it to bring players in this year but we are going to try and put together a group in an environment that’s going to allow us to take the steps to at least go close.”
Apart from Reading, obviously, what other teams should we be looking out for?
“Wycombe Wanderers are a very good side - we know a couple of players there - so we know they’re going to be good this year.
“Southampton look like they’ve retained a lot of their group for the back end of our season, and they started to get performances and results towards the end of the year, so they’ll probably be up there as well. I think those will be the main two.
“Porchester AFC have got some really good individual players and I’m sure they’re bringing a few more in so yeah, they’re a good side.
“And then obviously Oxford City, who have got a new manager, Lyon Theoharous, who joined from Tottenham.”
And how about that new home shirt?
With fans divided after the initial launch of the new kit - and with an indifferent and often humorous reaction from social media and the sporting press - I cheekily asked the new manager about his thoughts. He’s a fan!
“I really like it. I like things with a bit of a story - like the previous Purple Turtle shell third kit, the Reading skyline and now the link to the biscuit history. I really like it.”
The home matches are, once again, to be played at Arbour Park, Slough. It’s not ideal: the stadium is still a distance from Reading (but we’re surely heading in the direction for a return soon?).
However, if it helps persuade anyone, Arbour Park is one of (if not the) best stadiums in the league. It has impressive catering and bar facilities too, and often a warm inside area to view and watch the match from on a cold day!
There are five pre-season fixtures to whet the appetite, so look out for further details of these, with the first match of the season scheduled for Sunday August 31 - fixture details to hopefully be released by the league soon.
From the new ownership of the club to the new structures in place at the Community Trust for the Women’s team, it certainly feels like there’s a new sense of positivity and excitement for the next chapter in the history of Reading Football Club.
It was great to meet up with the new manager: a really personable chap who’s focused, already up and running to put plans into action, and clearly excited to be given this chance too.
The appointment of Jackson-Norris adds much-needed experience and, if he can find and secure the right players, I’m sure he will bring an exciting style of play, together with the chance for Reading to - once again - look towards the top half of the league table with confidence!
With season tickets now on sale at great value (adult tickets cost £30 and under-18s just £15), as the new manager said during our catch up, “if you want to see for yourself, you’ll have to come and watch”.
See you there.