Ottawa Rapid FC names former Danish captain Katrine Pedersen as its first head coach

Katrine Pedersen, who won a Danish-record 210 caps as a player and then served as an assistant coach with Denmark's women's team, has been named coach of Ottawa Rapid FC.

The 47-year-old Pedersen is set to take charge of the Northern Super League team Nov. 1 although she plans to visit Ottawa in advance of that. The six-team women's pro circuit kicks off next April.

Pedersen played for Denmark from 1994 to 2013, spending the last 10 years as captain. At club level, she played in Denmark, Norway and Sweden as well as Australia (Adelaide United) and England (Fulham).

"I am truly thrilled to be appointed as head coach of Rapid FC," Pedersen said in a statement. "A new chapter in the history of women’s professional soccer is being written, and I’m eager to embark on this exciting journey with the club.

"My career in football has taken me to places I never imagined, and that journey has laid the perfect foundation for this new challenge. I look very much forward to helping build a professional environment where players will grow and learn together, and challenge each other in the pursuit of excellent performances.”

A member of the Danish Football Hall of Fame, Pedersen was named Danish Women’s Player of the Year three times (2007, 2011 and 2013).

She joins the team from the Danish Football Association, where she served in a talent development role.

Pedersen, who played in three World Cups and five European Championships, is one of four Danish women to have a UEFA Pro Coaching Licence.

"We're extremely excited to have her come on board," said Kristina Kiss, a former Canadian international who is Ottawa's technical director. "It's really the perfect coach, the perfect hire for us."

A native of Horsens, Pederson ticks all the boxes — from having played around the world to her coaching philosophy, Kiss added.

"She comes in very much (as) a players' coach, someone that wants to build relationships on the field and allow players to take ownership on the field," Kiss said in an interview. "And is adaptable.

"I think we need someone like that in our first few years in the league."

Kiss should know. She played alongside Pedersen some 20 years ago at IF Floya in Norway.

"She was very much a captain-type player, someone who brought all the players together on the field," said Kiss. "Someone who worked well with her teammates. An all-around really good person."

Pedersen also coached AGF in the Danish top league, was an assistant coach with the Danish national women's team from 2015 to 2021 and has served as a TV pundit.

Kiss is convinced the time is right for a women's pro team in the capital.

"I've worked here for 15 years, since my retirement (as a player) and I've seen the development of the youth system in Ottawa and it's time for a professional league, a professional team. We need that completion of the pathway," she said.

Other NSL teams to have announced their coaches are Halifax Tides FC (Lewis Page), AFC Toronto (Marko Milanovic) and Montreal's Roses FC (Robert Rositoiu).

Kiss, an Ottawa native, won 75 caps for Canada from 2000 to 2008 and went to the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. She has also worked for Canada Soccer as manager of development programming and is a member of the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

The Ottawa CEO is Tom Gilbert, co-founder of the league with former Canadian international Diana Matheson.

“Katrine adds proven leadership and player development acumen to an already dynamic Rapid FC technical team," Gilbert said in a statement. "While she may not be a household name in Canada yet, she will be soon.”

Ottawa will play its home games at TD Place Stadium, home to the CFL Redblacks and CPL's Atletico Ottawa.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press