Academy Director Gavin Levey spoke to RedTV earlier today to give an update on Aberdeen Women and the AFC Youth Academy. Gavin will continue to take interim charge of Aberdeen Women until the end of the season.

To watch the interview in full on RedTV, please click on the red button.

“When Emma Hunter and Gavin Beith stepped down from their roles, it was a very sudden change putting me in charge. I thought I was only going to be manager for a fortnight to take the team over the Christmas period. However, the fixtures came so thick and fast that it rolled into the new year. January took care of itself while the club looked for a successful candidate to take the role, but I spoke a lot with Steven Gunn and we just felt that we needed to reassess where the team are, that was what’s most important. Throughout that the girls have given there absolute all during a really tough period.

“We have felt that it is probably not right to change between now and the end of the season to help the environment around the team.”

Aberdeen FC Women take on Hibernian tomorrow in Edinburgh in a tough match that Gavin will be hoping his team can come away with a victory.

“We are looking forward to it, we have been playing a lot of the top sides recently and Hibs are historically one of them. It’s another midweek awayday so we will be heading down there after our team are done university, college, school, or work but we need to get away from having any excuses. If we want to be in a performance environment much like what is going on in the Academy, then we need to change the mindset and that’s one thing that I am seeing great improvements in the team.”

While remaining in charge of Aberdeen Women, Gavin emphasised his commitment to the Youth Academy in his role as Academy Director:

“Effectively the Youth Academy is right now running the football club with everything on the pitch. Barry has stepped up to the first team manager hot seat right now and Scott Anderson has moved up with him to support him. Barry rightly so brought in Scott Agnew to give him a hand and use his experience to work alongside him and compliment him and Scott.

“Having a moment of reflection after that crazy period of fixtures that we had, we should take a lot pride as a club that the Youth Academy can been called upon when we are covering the first team, the women’s team and the U18’s all the way down, all of the development players that are in between the U18s and the first team. The fact that we have quality staff to do deal with that at a time like this. It is important to highlight that when times are tough at a football club you need a team of staff to come together and to get your head down and work.

“You have to block out a lot of the noise that surrounds it and we have shown that. We have people at this football club who are grafters and will give more than their worth to make sure the football club do the best that they can.”

Match: Hibernian Women v Aberdeen Women
Venue: Meadowbank Sports Centre
Date: Wednesday 1st March
Kick-Off: 19:30
Competition: SPWL1