Helen Ward is the new General Manager of Watford Women.

The former former captain and Wales’ all-time top goalscorer retired at the end of last season after helping the team secure promotion back to the Barclays Women’s Championship.

Ward takes up the GM role off the back of Laura Dyer’s successful interim tenure, with the Assistant Coach working alongside her successor over the summer as preparations continue for 2023/24.

Beginning her career at Watford having supported the club in her youth, former striker Ward made her senior debut in 2001 and enjoyed an eight-year spell before making the switch to Arsenal.

She returned to the Hornets in 2017 having played for Chelsea and Reading in the top tier and led from the front, taking her goal tally to 161 and also reaching a century of Wales caps.

Ward achieved promotion to the Championship twice also, winning the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division in her final game against Billericay Town.

Now tasked with achieving success in the second-tier from the other side of the white line, the 37-year-old is excited for her next chapter in football.

“As soon as the opportunity presented itself I thought, ‘what better way than the General Manager job to stay involved?’,” said Ward.

“It’s been interesting so far. It’s a very different perspective to playing but everyone knows how much I care about the team and the club, and the success that I’d like for the Women’s team, and hopefully in this position I can have a maybe even bigger impact than I had on the pitch.”

• Watford Women announced their season ticket prices for the 2023/24 campaign this week, and a family of four can watch home games for just £125. Read the full details here.

The team start the new season at home to Durham on Sunday August 27, kicking-off at 12pm at Wealdstone’s Grosvenor Vale stadium.