Wembley

• The number of female referees has increased by 21%, and female coaches have risen by a whopping 75%.
• In Spain, Barcelona are setting the standard for world record attendances, with 91,648 fans watching their Women’s Champions League game against Wolfsburg in April 2022.
• Italy, with two female coaches among ten top-division posts, and Germany, with just one of 12, fare even worse.
• So, why is there such a dearth of female coaches in women’s football?

Women need women for inspiration

• Many would argue there’s a need for female coaches at the top levels of women’s football to act as an inspiration for young, aspiring female coaches (and players too, of course).
• However, when female coaches act in ways that are inconsistent with gender stereotypes – meaning assertive and decisive – they’re considered unfeminine.
• The second element relates to the high competence threshold – women coaches in elite sport face higher expected standards but lower pay than male coaches.
• And the final element identifies how female coaches can be perceived as competent or likeable, but rarely both.

A bright future?

• At the elite level, for the first time we now have a generation of players who are full-time professionals, just like their male counterparts.
• So what does the future hold for elite female coaches?
• Some of the current crop of elite female players will naturally be expected to move into coaching when their playing careers come to an end.
• This may take time, but at least progress is being made on various fronts for the girls and young women coming through.