Laura Kaminski celebrates Brann cup success after swift January move from Crystal Palace
Laura Kaminski, the former Crystal Palace head coach, has claimed her first major continental trophy after Brann beat Aalesund in the Norwegian cup final following her appointment in January; the triumph came after Brann had failed to qualify for the Women’s Champions League following a 4-0 second-leg defeat by Austria Vienna.
Kaminski, who was sacked by Palace in February 2025 after becoming a head coach there in 2024, described the move to Norway as “wasn’t on the cards” and said that “Also coming to an ambitious club that wants to fight for a title, that was a massive pull.” She says a post-Palace break gave her “a lot of time to reflect on what happened there.”
Her coaching résumé includes spells at promotion-winning Tottenham, the England Women youth teams and Charlton, and she gained her Uefa A licence in 2018 after more than 15 years in coaching. Kaminski said she “always dreamed of being something that I couldn’t see” and described her early career as a “labour of love” in which she juggled multiple jobs and sometimes paid to do the work.
Brann’s cup victory over Aalesund handed Kaminski her first major trophy on the continent, and the club remain in a strong domestic position, sitting four points clear at the top of the league with seven games remaining. That league standing arrives despite the setback in Europe when Austria Vienna beat Brann 4-0 in the second leg to prevent Champions League qualification.
She noted the speed of the move from London to Bergen, explaining that her agent and a recruitment agency accelerated the process: “Sometimes you don’t really realise what is going on until 24 hours down the line, you’re moving to Norway. One minute you’re in London and 48 hours later you’re on a plane, but I snapped it up because for me to get to a WSL club fighting for a title was going to be difficult, I’m still on a journey in management but I’ve been coaching for years.”
Reflecting on her time at Palace, Kaminski said the 18 months there taught her more than the previous 18 years: “It was a course you couldn’t buy. It was led by Steve Parish, a great chair, great people at the club who were able to stretch me in the role. I met fantastic people; Palace will always be my home.” She also acknowledged a small peak in results under Leif Smerud and that the club were relegated.
Kaminski has noted lifestyle and professional differences in Norway, saying “flying to games has been a huge change” and that she is enjoying “fantastic scenery” in a country she senses is “very proud of its football.” She added that she remains an obsessive viewer of the game: “I’m constantly watching games. I was addicted to football and still am. I’ll put on a Bundesliga game and see what I would do at half-time in whatever scenario they’re in.”
Kaminski said her prior successes include wins in England and promotions with Tottenham and Palace, and that she now aims to demonstrate her abilities abroad; meanwhile Brann head into the closing seven league fixtures four points clear at the summit.