USWNT’s Emma Hayes emphasizes that men’s soccer clubs are not prepared to embrace female coaches, highlighting the significant barriers that still exist in the sport.
As one of the most accomplished figures in women’s soccer, Hayes has achieved remarkable success with Chelsea, securing multiple titles and recently leading the U.S. team to gold at the Paris Olympics.
In a recent interview with the BBC radio “Today” program, she expressed skepticism about the readiness of men’s soccer team owners to hire women as head coaches, stating, “Of course they’re not, otherwise it would have happened by now.”
Forest Green Rovers made headlines last year by appointing Hannah Dingley as the first female head coach of a professional soccer team in England, albeit on a temporary basis.
Hayes pointed out the stark contrast in opportunities, stating, “I’ve said this a million times over — you can find a female pilot, a female doctor, a female lawyer, a female banker, but you can’t find a female coach working in the men’s game, leading men. It just shows you how much work there is to be done.”
During her impressive 12-year tenure at Chelsea, Hayes won seven Women’s Super League titles, while the men’s side cycled through 11 different managers in the same period.
In 2021, she was considered for the managerial position at Wimbledon, a third-division men’s team, where she remarked that labeling women’s soccer as a step down from men’s was an “insult.”
