Why are so few women reaching the top in coaching?

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sarina Wiegman is the only men's or women's manager to reach five consecutive major international tournament finals "If you don't see it, you're probably not going to be it." Hannah Dingley was talking to the BBC in April 2023 when she was the only woman in charge of a men's English Football League academy at Forest Green Rovers. By July of that year she became the first and, to date, only woman to take charge of a senior professional men's side in England when she was appointed caretaker manager of the club. But despite being called "the natural choice" for the role by club chairman Dale Vince, two weeks later, after taking charge for three pre-season friendlies, she was replaced by Southampton under-23 manager David Horseman. Three years on, Dingley, who is now head of the girls academy at Manchester City, has been speaking to MPs about the barriers facing women in coaching. Dingley, 42, has a degree in sports science, a masters in sports coaching and a Uefa Pro Licence, but feels her qualifications are sometimes questioned because she's a woman. Last week, she spoke to a cross party parliamentary committee about progress in pathways, accessibility and retention for female coaches., external Dingley described hearing the stereotypical perceptions of women as nurturing. "You'll have maternal instincts, you know you'll be great with those little ones," she said. "I think there's an assumption that you might be more empathetic or softer, and that you should therefore not have the desired characteristics to work at the top level of elite sport. "I got my A Licence [qualification], went to an academy and tried to get a job. I got a job with the under nines, yet I was more qualified than many of the male coaches who were working with far older age groups." Dingley also highlighted the differences in coaching pathways for men and women. "In men's football, every player who comes through the academy system between 16 and 18 as a member of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) gets their step on the ladder - they get their Uefa C Licence," she said. "There are 92 clubs in the English Football League and Premier League, that's maybe 1,000 coaches per year that get in that way. "The PFA look after the Women's Super League and this is the first season they've looked after players in the second tier. So you've got all those players before the recent cohort that aren't on their coaching journey. "With the logic that top jobs tend to go to ex-players, we need to start female players on the journey, so when they step out they have the option to go into coaching." The lack of diversity in leadership was also discussed with Dingley saying if the decision makers are "largely male, how open are they to hiring women?". Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Dingley was head of women's and girls' football for the Football Association of Ireland in 2024 In March, Fifa introduced rules requiring at least one coach in women's tournament teams to be female, taking effect in this year's Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups - and the Women's Champions Cup. Dingley called it a start, but emphasised it should be part of wider strategies. "It's one tool, but that's got to be complemented with support around coaching generally within the national governing body - the way they treat women, the way that women's football is viewed." Sarah Owen, elected chair of the Women and Equalities Committee echoed Dingley's thoughts. "It's sad it didn't happen organically. But at the current rate of change, we wouldn't see any change. "I've never been a massive fan of quotas for quotas' sake. It must go hand in hand with addressing the culture changes, because otherwise you're forcing women into a role which is miserable." Fifa's chief football officer Jill Ellis said that the new regulations marked "an important investment" but conceded they "must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines". When asked about the biggest barriers, Owen echoed Dingley's comments from 2023. "If you can't see it, you can't be it," she said. Marie-Louise Eta became visible to the world in April this year when she became the first woman to manage a men's team in one of Europe's top-five leagues after being named interim head coach of Bundesliga side Union Berlin. However, shortly after her appointment, the 34-year-old was the target of sexist comments. "It's embarrassing. I've noticed it, but I also refuse to expose myself to that kind of nonsense because for me this is about quality - leadership quality," said Horst Heldt, Union Berlin's director of football. "I find it insane that we have to deal with this." Next season, the WSL expands to 14 teams. Seven clubs (50%) currently have a female coach - (Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Charlton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and West Ham). In WSL 2,

Why are so few women reaching the top in coaching?

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