Are WSL clubs overlooking English female coaches
The Women’s Super League is expanding globally each season – but are clubs overlooking female English coaches as a result?
It is not just international players who are flooding to the WSL, as overseas coaches now see it as a league they want to be a part of.
Chelsea were able to prise manager Sonia Bompastor away from European giants Lyon, while Dario Vidosic swapped Australia for Brighton this summer.
Foreign coaches are showcasing their qualities but it is becoming harder for female managers, particularly homegrown coaches, to break into the top tier.
The Football Association stated in 2022 their aim was to have 75% female managers or head coaches in the WSL.
But the WSL season started with only four of the 12 clubs having female managers – two of them English, while three vacancies this summer were filled by foreign coaches.
“It’s obviously a constant battle for us,” Dan Clements, the FA’s head of coaching development, told BBC Sport.
“I don’t think you can pinpoint one thing. There are probably a lot of reasons. There’s a significant amount of work to do to break down barriers.
“It’s not up to one person to achieve that. It has to be a joint effort. It’s a challenge we’re willing to accept and are really leaning into.”
Cultural barriers, experience and risks
It is not just in the WSL where there are a lack of female coaches.
Of the 32 coaches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, only 12 were women. Only three of the 14 coaches in the United States’ domestic league are female.
But Clements says the expansion of the WSL plays a part in creating barriers for homegrown coaches specifically, adding to the existing challenges for English women hoping to take on senior positions in the game.
It’s the FA’s job to “champion the ability and talent we do have in England”, he says.
There remains a large talent pool of English female head coaches in the Women’s Championship – with five currently in charge out of the 11 clubs – and the FA’s national youth team set-ups.
Amy Merricks was recently named head coach at Birmingham City in the second tier, having acted as interim manager at WSL club Brighton on two occasions.
She says it has often been “really difficult to understand” clubs’ recruitment processes and she wants more information on what they are looking for.
“We have a significant amount of female coaches in the game, it’s more about how we build them and give them the experience of what’s required,” Merricks told BBC Sport.
“We can only do that if we know what clubs are looking for. I’ve been in situations where you’re close to the interview process, then a decision has been made. You wonder if you have had a fair chance.
“Do foreign coaches have experience in their leagues and that is therefore perceived as less of a risk?
“How are panels made up in the interview process? Is there enough diversity within that? How many of those head coach appointments have been made by females in those positions? They are the recruiters.
“The other point that I think needs to be addressed is the lack of black coaches. Former Brighton manager Hope Powell was the only black coach and now there are none.”
What more can be done?
Merricks was the youngest-serving manager in the WSL during her second interim spell at Brighton in 2023.
She was given opportunities by the club and has often praised ex-England manager Powell for her guidance and support.
But Merricks thinks more needs to be done in education to give English coaches the experience they need to apply for top jobs.
“We’ve done a lot of work in terms of getting females their qualification badges but we’ve missed the whole point of how we get them experiences,” Merricks added.
“It’s like learning to drive a car – you can pass your test, but you don’t really know how to drive until you do it regularly.
“Unless we start giving female coaches the opportunity to gain that experience, how are they ever going to be able to apply and fulfil roles successfully?”
The FA has run successful coaching programmes which the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United assistant coaches Vicky Jepson and Charlotte Healy respectively, as well as former Aston Villa boss Carla Ward, have benefited from.
But Clements says the next step is persuading clubs to consider those coaches.
“We have provided a huge amount in grants and bursaries for the qualification programmes and have ensured we have opened up access,” said Clements.
“We want to provide placements for individuals to learn on the job. There is nothing that can prepare you for it other than giving it a go.
“Our role is to influence clubs and showcase the support we can provide and work with them. We can put forward our very best coaches and managers at the right time.
“But ultimately, it is their decision. If a club wants to appoint someone from around the world, that’s their decision.”
‘It’s a problem we need to address quickly’
In February, former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said the lack of female coaches in English football is “a massive issue” and urged the game to “come up with more creative ways” to address it.
Meanwhile, Jonas Eidevall said female coaching is the “most under-tapped resource” in professional football.
Clements says it’s important to keep “shining a light” on the best coaches and asking questions about why they are not being employed.
“It needs to be asked. It is also needs to be understood that it’s not an overnight fix. It takes many years to understand how to be the best coach too,” he added.
Merricks also believes some female coaches have found it “a lonely place” and need support to thrive in the industry.
“You feel like you have to prove yourself even more. I’m just really passionate about it because I’ve had great female leaders like [Powell] give me opportunities,” added Merricks.
“I’d like to see more females generally – more analysts, more sport scientists and have more of a female presence in the men’s and boys’ games. We are as qualified.
“It will take time. We have to keep talking about it and asking questions. Everyone has accountability and responsibility to grow this part of the game.
“We have a lack of black coaches in the game, we have a lack of English, female coaches in the WSL. I don’t think the ratio is enough. It’s a problem and we need to address it quickly.”
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