Emma Hayes: Lack of female coaches 'a massive issue'

University courses Physical Sciences
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Emma Hayes calls it as it is, in a BBC article about the lack of elite female coaches, which is not just a football thing.

Despite the Paris Olympics having equal numbers of female and male athletes, there is likely to be no more than 15% female coaches (13% in Tokyo, 11% in Rio).

Emma Hayes has said we need to be creative and offered suggestions around mandating that women’s teams must employ a female head or assistant coach - I absolutely think that we need to see these standards mandated if there is any hope of shifting the dial significantly and not just in football.

Brilliant progress has been made on NGB boards who are only eligible for Sport England funding if they have 30%+ females, and funnily enough all NGB’s now have 30% female boards.

As outstanding and top of the game as Serene Wiegman and Emma Hayes are, they’re anomalies and not the norm, and I’m delighted that Emma has highlighted this issue and I have no doubt that lots is being done to address it!

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It’s concerning to see the disparity in female representation among elite coaches, not just in football but across various sports. Implementing standards, such as mandating female head or assistant coaches for women’s teams, could be a crucial step in addressing this imbalance. It’s encouraging to hear about the progress made in increasing female representation on NGB boards, highlighting the potential impact of proactive measures. While exceptional coaches like Serene Wiegman and Emma Hayes inspire us, it’s crucial to recognize that they are exceptions rather than the norm.

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