Women coaches still waiting to shatter barriers at the pinnacle of men’s sports

United States head coach Emma Hayes watches the action during the first half against Iceland at GEODIS Park on October 27, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

By Yanga Sibembe

22 Nov 2024

As women in sport continue to enter spaces from which they were historically excluded, is the world ready for a woman coach in men’s elite sports?

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis was recently inducted into the South African Hall of Fame, alongside a few other South African soccer greats. This was for her contributions to the game, both as a player and now as a coach.

Ellis is one of the most respected coaches on the African continent, as well as holding the elite qualification of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) A License, which some of her colleagues coaching in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) do not possess.

Yet, there would probably be a lot of pushback and noise if she were to be appointed as a coach in one of the Premiership sides, merely because she is a woman.

Banyana coach Desiree Ellis instruct Lebohang Ramalepe of South Africa during an international friendly match between Denmark and South Africa at the Aalborg Boldspilklub Stadium, Aalborg, on 25 October 2024. (Photo: Muzi Ntombela / BackpagePix)

The historic pestering of South Africa’s only elite female soccer referee, Akhona Makalima, is a great example of the attitudes that still prevail about women in South African soccer. Yes, Makalima has sometimes been fairly criticised for whatever mishaps she has made, just like her male peers.

However, some of the criticism around her has been derogatory, focusing only on her gender and physical appearance. One imagines that if Ellis were to find herself in a PSL job, she’d face similar hurdles.

A man’s world

Of course, such narrow attitudes prevail globally as well, as Chelsea Women coach Sonia Bompastor pointed out to Sky Sports during a recent interview.

“You never get things easy. You have to really fight to get them, especially when you are a woman and you work in a men’s environment,” said Bompastor, whose Chelsea side has won 11 games in as many outings across competitions since she replaced Emma Hayes in the Blues’ dugout.

“Though it’s getting better and better, sometimes football is still mainly about men’s mentality. So as a woman, you need to compete every day to prove to people that you are competent enough to do the job,” Bompastor stated.

Sarina Wiegman, the head coach of England Women, speaks with Maya le Tissier of England during their international friendly against South Africa at The Coventry Building Society Arena on 29 October 2024 in Coventry, England. (Photo: Shaun Botterill / Getty Images)

Though attitudes have shifted and continue to shift, women being interwoven into men’s sports remains rare, from executives to coaches and even referees such as Makalima. Ironically, even in the women’s segment of such sports (outside of the players) it is still men who largely dominate.

Take the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), for example, Australia’s domestic T20 cricket competition that brings together some of the best female cricketers in the world. Yet, of the eight coaches at the tournament, only three are women.

This is probably an indication of a shortage in quality coaches that are women, as well as a lack of trust in those who are present and qualified.

The heavyweights

Nevertheless, even those who are qualified find opportunities hard to come by. For example, the coach of England women’s senior soccer side, Sarina Wiegman, was heavily linked with the country’s men’s soccer side following the resignation of Gareth Southgate. Germany’s Thomas Tuchel has since taken up the role.

“People always say it is the best man for the job or the best Englishman. Why does it have to be a man? I think our answer is always: ‘It’s the best person for the job.’ Sarina is doing a great job and we hope she continues doing it for a long time. Sarina could do anything she wants in football,” Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said.

“If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the men’s game, that would be a really interesting discussion, but that’s for her right? I don’t think we should view it as a step up. If she decides at some point in the future to go in a different direction, I think she’s perfectly capable of that. It’s the best person for the job, if that best person is a woman, then why not?”

United States head coach Emma Hayes. (Photo: Brad Smith / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images for USSF)

Indeed, Wiegman – with two European Championship gold medals, and just as many World Cup silver medals – is a great candidate to shatter the existing barriers.

She has also been linked with coaching the Netherlands men’s team in the past. That may just be where she rewrites history.

The same is true for current US women’s national soccer team coach Emma Hayes. The Briton won almost every trophy available during the 12 years she coached Chelsea. At 48 years old, she has a few years left to break this glass ceiling. But even she knows that the probability is minimal.

“I’ve said this a million times over… You can find a female pilot, a female doctor, a female lawyer, a female banker… But you can’t find a female coach working in the men’s game, leading men. It just shows you how much work there is to be done,” Hayes recently said.

Evidently, the coaches are there and ready for this barrier-breaking challenge. It is now up to the decision makers to entrust a female coach with the responsibility of coaching a men’s team. DM

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South Africa

A man’s world

The heavyweights