Highly-rated Lionesses prospect Keira Barry leaves Man Utd for NWSL side Bay FC and reunites with former England coach

Barry's move was confirmed on Wednesday, after the academy graduate was recalled from her loan spell at Sunderland, in the WSL 2, in December. That was the second temporary switch for the England youth international since she signed her first professional contract with Man Utd ahead of the 2023-24 season, as the young forward was also part of the Crystal Palace side which won promotion as second-tier champions in 2024. First-team opportunities in Manchester, however, have been hard to come by, something Barry will hope changes with this move, having signed a four-year deal with Bay FC.

"When the opportunity to join Bay FC came up, it felt like the right move straight away,” Barry said upon the announcement of the transfer. "After speaking with Emma and meeting [sporting director] Matt Potter and the staff, it was clear that the club’s values, ambition and people aligned with what I’m looking for at this stage of my career. I’m excited for the challenge of playing in a new league, testing myself against top players and experiencing life in the U.S. I believe this is the perfect environment to continue pushing my game forward and I’m looking forward to showing Bay FC fans what I can bring."

Barry and Coates are well-acquainted from their time together in the England youth set-up. Coates was involved with the youth national teams for eight years before her move to the U.S. was announced at the end of 2025, meaning she is extremely well-versed in what someone like Barry can offer.

"Having worked closely with Keira in England, I’ve seen first-hand the relentless energy and technical quality she brings," Coates said. "She is a brave, forward-thinking winger who isn't afraid to take players on and create something out of nothing. Keira has a professional pedigree that fits perfectly with the culture we are building here. We want to be a team that attacks with variety, pace and purpose and Keira is a 'front-foot' player who will give us exactly that."

It's the second time this week that a talented young English player has left their homeland to join Coates' Bay FC project, after Anouk Denton's own move to California was announced on Monday. Denton, two years Barry's senior, has enjoyed a much different path to Bay FC, having been exposed to regular WSL football at West Ham for the last three years and earned a senior Lionesses debut in December. However, the opportunity to experience a very different league and lifestyle has been cited as reason why many England players have moved to the NWSL previously, with Denton herself saying she is looking forward to playing in "the most competitive league in the world".

Given Coates' extensive knowledge of young English talent and the relationships she has formed while working in the youth national teams for so long, it will be interesting to see if any other players move across the pond to join her, whether that is this year or in the future.

Barry is Bay FC's fourth acquisition of the off-season, with all of the club's business thus far having an extremely youthful feel. Brooklyn Courtnall has returned on a permanent basis, after the 23-year-old spent part of the 2025 season on loan from the North Carolina Courage, and Alex Pfeiffer, the talented 18-year-old who joined the Kansas City Current in 2023, has signed a three-year deal, with Denton and Barry following those two to the Bay Area this week.

Perhaps that theme should come as no surprise given Coates has spent the last seven years working in youth football and clearly excels in developing young prospects. She'll hope the approach can help Bay FC kick on in 2026, having missed out on the NWSL play-offs in 2025.