ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 7, 2024) — The Orlando Pride and Seb Hines have agreed to a new contract that will see the head coach extended through the 2026 season, with an option for 2027. Hines, a native of Wetherby, England, is in the middle of his second full season at the helm of the Pride, currently leading the side to historic records at both the club and league level.
“Seb has done a tremendous job leading the Orlando Pride since taking over as head coach in 2022, and we are very excited to reward him with a new contract with the Club,” said Orlando Pride Chairman Mark Wilf. “Bringing valuable experience from his time as both a player and a coach, Seb has elevated this team and helped build one of the most exciting squads in NWSL history. We are excited to continue working with Seb as our goals for the Pride continue to rise and we are thrilled to have him at the helm for the foreseeable future.”
“I couldn't be more excited to continue this journey with Seb. What we are building here in Orlando is special and we have a shared vision to make the Pride a perennial contender and model sporting organization in the global soccer landscape,” said Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations and General Manager, Haley Carter. “Seb has helped build one of the hardest working and most cohesive locker rooms I’ve seen in my career, and I’m thankful for the teamwork and collaboration he fosters every day with both our athletes and our staff. He always strives to set new standards, on and off the pitch, and inspires others around him to do the same. I look forward to supporting his growth as a professional and seeing all the Club accomplishes under his leadership.”
“First of all, thank you to the Wilf Family who have put their trust in me and given me the opportunity to lead this team, going back to 2022 when I started off as an interim head coach. I’m proud of what we have accomplished to this point, but our work isn’t done yet,” Hines said. “At the end of the day, we want to win something. We want to build a legacy here. We want to give back to the community and to make sure that fans are wanting to come watch this group of athletes go out there and perform every week. I’m excited to continue leading this Club and to continue giving back to a city that means so much to me and my family.”
Hines is currently in his 10th season with the organization overall, three spent as a player for Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer and another seven as part of the Pride’s coaching staff in a variety of roles.
The former professional defender was appointed as the Pride’s full-time head coach ahead of the 2023 NWSL season, following a 15-game stint as the team’s interim head coach to end the 2022 campaign. During the interim stretch, Hines guided the team to a seven-game unbeaten run from July 3 to Aug. 20, posting increases in the team’s averages on shots, shot on target and passing accuracy, as well as three total clean sheets.
Since his full-time hire, Hines has compiled a 21-11-6 regular season record, with the Pride unbeaten through all 16 games of 2024 and sitting tied for the longest unbeaten streak in league history at 17 games, dating back to the final match of the 2023 season. The Pride have totaled 13 home wins since Hines took over full-time, the most of any NWSL club since the start of the 2023 season.
In 2023, Hines guided the Pride to 10 victories, the second most in the NWSL that season, including a Club record seven at home. Notably, the former Premier League defender turned around the Pride’s defensive efforts, posting a franchise-low 28 goals allowed on the season. This year, the Pride are on pace to shatter that record, with only 12 goals conceded through the 16 matches.
With an 11-0-5 record so far this season, the Pride are currently sitting atop the league, having been amongst the top two of the table since Week 8. From April 12 to May 24 the Pride won a league-record eight consecutive matches, culminating with a 2-1 victory against Portland. With six wins at home thus far in 2024, Orlando is also on pace to break its home wins record.
Hines has also put a strong emphasis on developing talent, with the roster featuring five picks from the last two collegiate drafts. Emily Sams, who was the Pride’s highest-ever draft pick selected at No. 3 overall in 2023, was recently named as an alternate to the U.S. Women’s National Team Olympic roster, making the match day roster on Aug. 3 to officially become an Olympian. Additionally, English goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse earned her first call up to the Lionesses this season, with Moorhouse currently tied for the most career clean sheets in team history.
Before heading into the Summer Cup break, the Pride became the final unbeaten team standing after a thrilling 2-1 win at Kansas City, in one of the most anticipated matches in league history. Despite dropping down to 10 players in the first half, Hines managed the team to a come-from-behind victory, the win that tied the league’s longest unbeaten streak record.
As a player, Hines began his career at Premier League side Middlesbrough, before stints with Derby County, Oldham Athletic and Coventry City. In 2015, Hines joined Orlando City SC, the Pride’s MLS counterpart, for its inaugural campaign and would finish his career in the City Beautiful after the 2017 season. Following his professional retirement, Hines joined then-Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni as a volunteer coach in 2018 and was hired as full-time assistant under Marc Skinner in 2020 and earned his USSF A License in 2023.
Hines is currently one win shy of tying Sermanni for the most wins as a manager in Club history, with an opportunity to do so when the Pride return to action on Friday, Aug. 23 in Houston against the Dash.
Single-match tickets for the Club’s remaining home games are available here, with the Pride returning to regular season action on the road on Aug. 23 at Houston before returning to Inter&Co Stadium to host NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sept. 1. Season Ticket Memberships for the 2025 season will be available in the near future, with fans able to sign up to be alerted at the link here.
