Former Orlando City defender Hines joins technical staff
The Orlando Pride has added former Orlando City defender Seb Hines to its firstteam coaching staff, where he will assist head coach Marc Skinner.
Hines began working with the Orlando Pride as a volunteer coach in 2017 after the end of his playing career. During the past three seasons, Hines assisted the defense during morning training sessions and worked the sidelines during games.
His hiring comes after the announcement of the NWSL Challenge Cup, a month-long return-to-play tournament in Utah that Skinner said will provide unique challenges for the coaching staff.
“Seb is a wonderful addition to the Pride team,” Skinner said. “He is extremely well respected by the players and will provide high level insights to help the team progress toward our targets. Above all, Seb possesses a team-first attitude and he showed this by assisting the club throughout the whole of last season. We are always looking for ways to develop a high-level support structure for our players, and Seb is a key character within this plan.”
A native of Wetherby, England, Hines started his playing career in the Premier League with Middlesbrough, where he spent 10 years. He made 69 appearances for the club, scoring three goals. Hines was loaned to Derby County, Oldham Athletic and Coventry City throughout his tenure with Middlesbrough.
The defender was ultimately loaned to Orlando City in 2015, debuting in the club’s first MLS match against New York City FC. He went on to play 32 matches during two seasons with the Lions, netting four goals.
Hines began his coaching career after his contract option was declined following the 2016 season. He is also a coach in the Orlando City Youth Soccer program, leading two boys teams.
In his time working with the Pride, Hines has worked one-on-one with many of the team’s starting defenders, including Ali Krieger and Toni Pressley. Hines trained Krieger throughout the offseason leading up to the 2019 season as she worked to return to the U.S. national team rotation.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to start my professional coaching career as a member of the Pride staff and would like to thank the club for the opportunity,” Hines said. “Orlando has become home for me and my family and I’m very excited to be able to use my knowledge and experience to bring a championship to this club and city. To have the opportunity to work with a number of world-class athletes and a great technical staff is one that I do not take lightly and I look forward to seeing all that we can accomplish.”