Chester, Pa. – Like United States and of Spain On Tuesday at Subaru Park again, Emma Hayes brings a significant moment of the game, although it should not be significant. Two women manage FIFA’s number one and number two teams, Sonia Bermúdez and Hayes, overseeing Spain and the United States, respectively.
Hayes has been a trailblazer since he began his coaching journey in America with the Long Island Lady Knights before eventually building an empire with the Empire. ChelseaWomen’s Super League team, and her journey has now come full circle with managing the USWNT on the road to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027. Brazil. So when he opens up about the state of play, it’s worth listening to, and there was no other Monday outside of Philadelphia.
“I have made no secret that it is really difficult, I think, for women in this space, one, the interview, two, get the job, and three, to stay in the job. I think the standards for us are so much higher than our male counterparts that you rarely see women who have gone and done the job, finish it, whether it is fired or left,” is another case. he said.
“But I also think, you know, it’s Sarina Wiegman and Sonia Bompastor who are excellent coaches. I think it’s great to see. I think we need to see more representation, and I’m a big promise to make at least one technical member. [to be female]” Hayes continued. “I would like to go further. I would like to see more female head coaches in the national teams, because, yeah, I think it’s quite difficult to enter this industry as it is.”
While Hayes advocated for these structural changes in the game, he highlights the broader asset landscape. There have been coaches in the past who were given the opportunity to coach women’s games who were not natural choices Landon DonovanRichie Burke and Chris Armas, experienced coaching women’s teams before the arrival of the NWSL. Even now, 11 of the 16 NWSL teams are led by male coaches.
Those three could use their playing experiences and connections, generally, to get their roles, which are common in soccer, but they’re also not what women in the game actually have, as people like Hayes give women more opportunities.
The list goes on and on, and while Hayes is trying to create opportunities for more women to play soccer, it’s also critical to find more opportunities for the next Hayes in this growing soccer landscape. Continuing to beat the drum to raise awareness is important, but as Hayes suggests, the sport’s governing bodies need to go further by investing more in women to lead teams around the world.