Helping more women and girls become football coaches
Pull up a chair and get a seat at the table. Doesn’t sound very sporty, does it? But what about if I told you that the table is football coaching and a seat is you getting involved. That’s what Bloomsbury Football and Momentum On want you to do. They want more girls and young women to consider football coaching, because, quite frankly, there aren’t enough.
The initiative was launched in March on International Women’s Day but both groups see this as an evergreen cause; a call to action, or should that be coaching, for more than one day.
Image from Canva
Emma Hayes may have left her job as Chelsea women’s team’s manager and moved to the States to coach their national team, but she remains one of women’s sports finest role models. She and Sarina Wiegman are fantastic representatives for women in coaching.
Since England won the Euros in 2022 and were World Cup runners-up in 2023, there has been a massive increase in female participation in all aspects of football in the UK - from playing to refereeing to coaching. In December 2023, the FA reported that there had been an 83% increase in the number of active female coaches with Level 1 qualification or higher in the UK. This is a very exciting increase and while almost half of WSL teams are managed by women, only 31% of the European women’s football teams aiming for the 2025 Euros tournament are managed by women. There is always more to be done - Emma Hayes has said that herself - and that’s where Bloomsbury Football and Momentum On come in.
We have featured Bloomsbury Football before because the work they do to bring football to more young people in London is incredible and their initiative on period education in footy was pioneering. I spoke to Isabelle Chauzy, Head of Marketing, at Bloomsbury regarding their new project to encourage more girls and young women to go into football coaching.
“Sadly, sport is gendered and football has been and continues to be seen as masculine. The enthusiasm for women’s sport is stagnating unfortunately, and it needs reinvigorating.
It takes time to change society but Bloomsbury is shaping norms and the next generation through football. As well as normalising girls playing football, we want to normalise female coaches. We’re pleased that our first full-time female coach has started but our project with Momentum On hopes to inspire more girls and young women to consider coaching.
Women who didn’t play football as girls, probably don’t see themselves entering coaching. The lack of opportunity continues to be an issue as does the fact that there aren’t enough role models. We want to shine a light on the women working at Bloomsbury Football as coaches such as Morgan: she works full time and volunteers as a coach as she wants to give something back to the sport she loves.
Women who didn’t play football as girls, probably don’t see themselves entering coaching and that’s just one challenge that we’re facing but there are many. However, now, there are more projects than ever to help girls and women overcome those challenges.”
Image from Canva
But aside from role models, why else are female coaches important? We asked Lipa Nessa.
“Many parents and caregivers are looking for football clubs for the girls in their lives with female coaches as they know that they’re likely to be more readily accepted. Female coaches bring a unique element - relatability! For girls, it feels safe and they feel represented. If their body is going through changes at training or during a game, they will find it easier to approach a female coach.”
How can we make it easier for females to become football coaches?
“I would love it if Level 1 training could be delivered in local community centres either for free or at a reduced rate. And women and young girls should look for local success stories. Emma Hayes is fantastic but find the women at grass roots level who have helped in local communities. Aspire to be them!”
If you want to give back to the community and football, and make a positive impact on someone’s life then check out these links:
How To Become A Football Coach — Junior Grassroots Football UK
Courses | England Football Learning
Coach Education | Football Coaching | Scottish FA
Courses and Diplomas | IFA (irishfa.com)
Let us know if you decide to take a seat at the table - there’s a place waiting for you!
Back in 2020, we interviewed Kim Coster, coach at Billericay FC. Read it here.
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