Former Chelsea player's praised coach takes the helm at Gintra

2025-01-03 11:44

The Lithuanian football champion of the last two decades, Šiaulių "Gintra," introduces its new head coach – the specialist from England, Steve Beeks.

The 53-year-old strategist, who holds a UEFA Pro license, last worked at the "Åland United" club located in the Åland Islands, which belong to Finland.

From 2020 to 2023, S. Beeks and his team competed for medals in a competitive league for three consecutive seasons, won the Finnish Cup twice, and successfully competed in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. In the 2021-2022 season, "Åland United" defeated the Romanian champions 4-0 in the first qualifying round, but lost 0-1 in the second round to the current team of Rimantė Jonušaitė, Geneva's "Servette."

Earlier, the new "Gintra" coach led the IFK "Mariehamn" club's academy in Finland, where he developed young talents who continued their careers in national teams and professional leagues.

The Finnish national team midfielder, former player of London’s "Chelsea" and the French club "Montpellier," Adelina Engman, who was trained by S. Beeks during her early career at "Åland United," referred to him as the best coach of her entire career. A. Engman also added that he is "a coach who can not only inspire but also strategically utilize players’ strengths and instill confidence in their abilities."

Speaking about joining the Lithuanian champions, S. Beeks noted that despite his accumulated experience, this will be a new challenge in his career, as leading a team that has held the champion title for two decades is indeed a significant responsibility.

"For a coach, it is always a challenge to join such a successful club as "Gintra." I am very motivated and eager to contribute to the team's new achievements. I am glad that my experience, accumulated knowledge, and skills convinced the club officials that I am the right candidate for this position. I cannot wait to start working and strive for victories not only in the local championship but also in the Baltic League and UEFA Champions League tournament," said the coach.

S. Beeks also revealed one of the key aspects of his applied vision – the development of team spirit and motivation in the daily process. According to the strategist from England, this is the main direction that allows a group of individual players to achieve successful team results throughout the season. Only by realizing this priority can tactical and individual mastery skills be improved to achieve specific victories.

"I believe that the strongest motivation comes from the players themselves when they feel trusted. Every team member must know their role and responsibility on the field so we can achieve common goals. My aim is to provide clear tasks and create a team where all players feel their contribution is important."

Eager to begin this new chapter in his career, S. Beeks added: "We aim to demonstrate effective and inspiring football that meets expectations and encourages spectators to come support the girls at the stadium. Women's football is gaining more momentum and popularity all over Europe, so I hope the level of interest will grow in Lithuania as well."

The club's director, Mantas Radavičius, highlighted the new coach's experience and applied philosophy, which aligns with the club's strategic directions and vision.

"Steve is an experienced specialist who implements a high-quality football philosophy. We have received numerous positive reviews from reliable sources, so we believe that his contribution will help the team achieve victories and continue to write the successful history of "Gintra" in line with the club's strategic directions. We wish him the best of luck on this new journey."