Former Cricket World Cup winner and England international Fran Wilson has been appointed as Gloucestershire Women’s new head coach.

After retiring from playing, Wilson will start the role on Monday 1st December, and the appointment marks her first role as a head coach.

With a wealth of experience at both domestic and international level, Wilson has a long association with cricket in the South West having first represented Somerset in 2006, before joining Western Storm in 2016.

The former batter also represented Gloucestershire in the 2022 and 2023 Vitality Women’s County T20 competitions while developing her coaching skills through the county’s Girls Emerging Players Programme, later continuing her involvement with the club as a coach within the Girls’ Pathways and on a consultancy basis for the women's first team during the 2025 season.

“I've done a lot of coaching alongside playing over the last five or six years, but it's really exciting to now step into that journey fully, especially with Gloucestershire, a great club that I've been involved with for a long time,” Wilson said.

“We all want results, but the real goal is to build sustainable success and to put the foundations in place that allow us to compete and thrive as a Tier 1 club.

“A huge part of my role is about building those foundations from the first team right through to the age groups, having a genuine influence across that pathway.

“By developing the resources we already have in the county and creating a strong network and structure around the players, I believe we can achieve long-term success.”

Jon Lewis, the new director of cricket at Gloucestershire, added: "Everyone at Gloucestershire is really excited about the appointment of Fran Wilson as women’s head coach.

“We went through a thorough recruitment process, and Fran was the standout candidate throughout. With strong roots in cricket across the South West, a deep passion for Bristol and Gloucestershire, and a long-standing connection with the club, that understanding of the region was an important factor for us.

“Fran demonstrated an exceptional range of qualities during the process and this marks a hugely significant appointment in an area where we have serious ambition.

“It also comes at the start of a landmark year for the club, with Bristol set to host England Women v India in May, followed by six matches during next summer’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in June.

“An outstanding playing career, a history of success at both club and international level and a deep understanding of elite performance make this an appointment we are extremely proud of. The environment Fran will build will be welcoming, driven and true to the ‘Gloucestershire way’.

“Our aim is to provide the best possible environment for our players to learn and develop and we believe Fran is the ideal person to lead that journey.”

Wilson has triumphed at the very highest level, representing England over an 11-year international career which saw her as an integral member of the national side.

Among her many achievements, one stands above all – in 2017, she played a key role in England’s historic 50-over World Cup victory at a packed Lord’s. That unforgettable match, and the remarkable squad behind it, changed the landscape of women’s cricket forever.

Throughout her domestic career, Wilson played around the globe; excelling in New Zealand’s Super Smash, making her mark in Australia’s Big Bash with the Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes, and thriving in The Hundred for various franchises, winning that competition in 2021 with Oval Invincibles.

Alongside this, Wilson was a key player for Western Storm – representing the South West of England and South Wales in the ECB’s Kia Super League. The Storm were among the competition’s most successful sides, winning the title twice during her time with the team.