Kris Ward (born November 20, 1979) is an American soccer coach. He was most recently the head coach of the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Coaching career
Ward re-joined the Washington Spirit as an assistant coach in August 2020. After the Spirit's former head coach Richie Burke was suspended in August 2021, Ward served as acting head coach for the remainder of the 2021 NWSL season and led the team to an NWSL Championship. In December 2021, he was named the permanent head coach.
On August 22, 2022, with the team holding a 1–6–9 record and sitting on 12 points (second-fewest in the NWSL), the Spirit announced that Ward had been relieved of his duties with six games remaining in the season. On January 24, 2023, it was revealed that Ward was banned from coaching in the NWSL due to abusive conduct while with the Spirit.
Coaching honors
Washington Spirit
- NWSL Championship: 2021
Managerial career
| Years | Role | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–2007 | Assistant coach | St. Mary's Seahawks men |
| 2004–2010 | Assistant coach | Washington Freedom |
| 2013 | Assistant coach | Washington Spirit |
| 2020–2021 | Assistant coach | Washington Spirit |
| 2021 | Interim head coach | Washington Spirit |
| 2022 | Head coach | Washington Spirit |
Notes
There are multiple individuals named Kris Ward in public life, including a business development executive at Landmark Bio, a business coach and entrepreneur (founder of "Win the Hour, Win the Day"), a leadership and communications coach, and a former Athens, Georgia police officer convicted of child molestation. The above entry focuses on the American soccer coach, who is the subject of a Wikipedia article.
