Orlando Pride hire Yolanda Thomas as first permanent Black female head coach in NWSL

The Orlando Pride have promoted Yolanda Thomas from interim to permanent head coach, the club announced Thursday. She is the first Black woman to serve in that role at any club in the 14-year history of the NWSL.“This is a club that I have poured a lot of sweat equity into for a few years now,” Thomas told The Athletic in a phone call ahead of the announcement. “It was a heartfelt choice, probably more so than most of these types of roles, because I feel like this is home and this club means a lot to me.“So to now step into a role and lead us into the future, I feel privileged, honored and genuinely excited about what we can accomplish together.”Thomas’ coaching career with the Pride began as an assistant coach in March 2023. She was promoted to interim head coach on Aug. 31 following the departure of Seb Hines, who also made history as the first permanent Black coach in the NWSL. Like Thomas, Hines started as an assistant with the Florida club and was promoted from the interim role he held from June to November 2022. (In August of that year, Hue Menzies became the first Black head coach in the NWSL when Gotham FC hired him, also in an interim capacity.)Hines, Thomas and Giles Barnes, another Black assistant, were at the core of the coaching staff that led the Pride to their historic NWSL Shield and championship trophy double in 2024. Barnes left the club in late July and is now head coach at Al Qadsiah FC in the Saudi Women’s Premier League.When the Pride promoted Thomas to interim head coach, the team was in the thick of its playoff push after a challenging start to the season saw them 12th in a 16-team table. Between that and navigating emotions after a coaching change, Thomas said it was “honestly difficult for both parties to make actual physical time, but also emotional and brain space to even begin to have that conversation” about her future beyond the interim period.“That said, both the club and I acknowledged early on that I was at a stage in my career that, had it not been Orlando, I probably would have been somewhere else,” Thomas acknowledged. She wasn’t rushed, but she made it clear she wanted the discussions to start before the season ended.The Pride were eliminated from playoff contention on Oct. 18 and finished the regular season Nov. 1 in 11th place.Thomas described the search and hiring process for Orlando’s next head coach as robust and rigorous. She was also adamant about undergoing the same rounds of interviews as candidates from outside the club.“I am the first Black woman to be in this role in the league, and I want to make sure that, from my perspective, I am not handed this in any fashion, or I don’t even give any kind of room for anyone to think that,” she said.“It was important for me, whether it was here or anywhere else, that I go through the same process as anybody else would have gone through. When you leave room for those things to be questioned, it actually can put a stain on what should be a celebrated, historical moment.”Mark Wilf, chairman and owner of the Pride, said that as the hiring process continued, “it was clear that Yolanda’s leadership, experience and character made her the strongest individual to lead our club moving forward. She has already played an important role in the success this organization has achieved, and we are excited to see her lead the next chapter of the Pride.”Thomas’ head-coaching experience precedes Orlando.She was named head coach of Fortuna Tulsa in the amateur Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) from 2018-22, in addition to serving as sporting director and director of coaching roles at that club. Thomas was also head coach of the women’s soccer program at Rogers State University, also in Oklahoma. Since joining Orlando, Thomas has led two U.S. women’s national team under-23 camps and continues to work as a scout for the program. She holds a USSF A License and is currently working on her USSF Pro License.Two days before Orlando announced Thomas’ hiring, it released an end-of-season roster that includes several players who are out of contract and are now free agents, including 40-year-old Brazil icon Marta. The club has also parted ways with other key players, including fullback Kerry Abello, midfielder and Brazilian international Luana and forward Julie Doyle. On Sept. 14, the Pride signed star Zambian striker Barbra Banda to a contract extension set to run through 2029.“It’s the beauty and the difficulty of professional sports,” Thomas said. “There’s no denying that there are some changes that will be felt, and we can both miss people who have invested and contributed a lot to the historical success of this club and look forward to building a roster that will perform for us in the future.”She’s not had much time to celebrate, but Thomas is grateful to the people around her — fellow female coaches, Black coaches, and allies — to remind her “to sort of sit and go, ‘This is cool,’” she said.Thomas’ three children have also reminded her of the magnitude of her achievement with a gift that could serve a dual purpose for a mom who, as she recalled, has had to run to Walmart at 11 p.m. to buy art supplies for last-minute school assignments.“They’re ready for their Black History Month presentations,” she said, “because it’s apparently all going to be me.”This article originally appeared in The Athletic.Orlando Pride, NWSL2026 The Athletic Media Company