The rise of female coaching in football has been seen all over the world, with the future showing signs of the number of female coaches continuing to grow and grow.
In recent years, particularly in England, several female coaches have achieved a celebrity status, with managers such as Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman becoming household names.
The number of female coaches in England’s top flight, the Women’s Super League, has appeared to grow as interest in the game has too.
In 2015, only 25 per cent of managers in the Women’s Super League were female. However by 2020, this figure had risen to 66.7 per cent.
This season, managerial changes in the WSL has seen more men hired and replacing female coaches. Currently, four out of 12 managers in the top tier are women.
Similarly, 10 of the 16 managers at the 2022 Women’s European Championships were male; the same as the previous tournament in 2017.
However, female coaching is still a growing trend. Not only is it being seen in England, but across the world, and not just in the women’s game.
In December 2022, history was made in the United States, as Julianne Sitch made history by becoming the first female manager to lead a men’s team to a national title.
Sitch guided the University of Chicago men’s team to their first NCAA Division Three title. She said after the game that seeing female coaches achieve greatness can inspire the next generation.
She said: "It gives young girls something to aspire. If they can see it, they can dream it, they can believe it, and then aspire to be that."
Greatness can be seen from female coaches, such as Sarina Wiegman making herself a hero in England after the 2022 Women’s European Champions win, after also winning the tournament in 2017 with her native Netherlands.
2022 also saw Emma Hayes earning her OBE after winning five Women’s Super League titles, as well as four Women’s FA Cups and two Women’s League Cups.
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