Why are so few women reaching the top in coaching?

Sarina Wiegman is the only men's or women's manager to reach five consecutive major international tournament finals [Getty Images] "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. What are the obstacles? 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. 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?". Dingley was head of women's and girls' football for the Football Association of Ireland in 2024 [Getty Images] Fifa's new ruling - is it enough? 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". 'If you can't see it, you can't be it' 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, four out of 10 teams have a woman at the helm. When combing the two, 46% of managers are female. What more can football do? "I would make social media and the internet much more accountable," said Owen. "With social media, and particularly X, it's a free for all and it is destroying people. "We have seen examples where women have reached the peak of their careers in sport and then they will be absolutely torn down on social media to the extent that it has a massive impact on the person, and on others who want to go into those roles. "For me, it's the accountability for something that is highly addictive and highly destructive, combined with the space and the access to sports." To address the lack of female-focused research, Fifa has launched a female health and performance project aiming to better support coaches and optimise outcomes for women athletes. Dan Clements, head of coach development at the FA explained they are "committed to increasing the number of female coaches at all levels of the game by providing clear coaching pathways, accessible qualifications and tailored development opportunities". For the past three seasons the England Under-23, Under-19 and Under-17s have been led by female homegrown coaches and at the last Euros in Switzerland, both finalists, Spain and England were led by women. The German Football Federation has a Women in Football 2027 strategy which lists one of the goals as increasing the number of active female players, coaches and referees by 25%. The FA also highlighted a record number of women, including Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Steph Houghton and Izzy Christiansen, have graduated from the latest Uefa A Diploma cohort. However, Clements acknowledges there is room for improvement. "We recognise there is still more work to do. "By collaboratively working with clubs, leagues and stakeholders across football, and listening to female coaches directly, we will continue to evolve and tailor our coach development offer to support the growth of the game." [BBC] New episodes of Women's Football Weekly podcast drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page