Town have appointed Sean Burt to the new role of technical director.

Burt will be in charge of all football matters, including recruitment, and has joined the club from Hearts, where he has been the head of women’s recruitment for the past two years having previously been the assistant manager.

Prior to that, he was head coach of Glasgow Women and before that he had stints coaching at Hibs and Rangers.

From January 2020, Burt had 18 months as head coach of Edinburgh City’s women’s side and prior to that had been head coach of North Merchiston’s men’s team.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the club as technical director and I’m really proud to be a part of what the club is building,” Burt told the club site.

“What really excites me is the ambition here, not just in terms of results, but in creating a sustainable, high-quality environment where players, coaches and staff can all thrive. 

"From the outset, Dmitri [Halajko, director of football operations] and Rachel [Harris, head of women’s football] were very clear on the direction we want to go in and the standards we want to set, which really aligned with my own values and beliefs around development, performance and culture.

“There is a genuine commitment to developing the women’s programme in the right way, and I’m looking forward to working closely with everyone and to help drive that vision forward and build something we can all be proud of.”

Blues chairman and CEO Mark Ashton added: “We are excited to appoint Sean to this important new role as we continue to invest in the club's Women's team both on and off the pitch.

"Sean brings valuable experience and knowledge to this position and will work closely with the existing staff across a number of key areas as we look to continue our progress in both the short and long term.”

Hearts manager Eva Olid told her club site: “Over the last four years, Sean has played a key role in our transition from an amateur team to a professional side.

“Having started off as my assistant, he moved into a brand-new role leading our recruitment, which was the starting point of a new era for the club and support for the women’s team.

“The role that Sean has played is clear and for that everyone at the club I’m sure will thank him for all of his hard work, but I’d like to place on my record my personal thanks to Sean and wish him all the very best at Ipswich Town.”

The appointment follows the sacking of manager Joe Sheehan last week with David Wright, who had been in charge of the men’s U18s, taking interm charge until the end of the season.

Photo: ITFC/Matchday Images