When Steph Houghton, the long-time England captain, announced her retirement earlier this year, the praise from Emma Hayes could not have been higher. “I hope she stays in the game,” the then-Chelsea boss, and now head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, said. “I don’t wish coaching on anyone, but if she wants to do it, I think she would be a great asset to someone.”
It’s an attitude that the Football Association (FA), in collaboration with UEFA and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), also holds towards not only the Lionesses icon, but players across the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, with Houghton one of 17 current and former stars from the two divisions partaking in a 12-month programme that brings them onto an all-female UEFA A Licence coaching course. Tailoring it to fit around the players’ schedules, the aim is part of a collective commitment from the FA, PFA and UEFA to increase coaching opportunities for women, with Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead also among those taking advantage.
At a time when the lack of female representation in football coaching is coming under more and more scrutiny, and women make up just nine of the managers in the top two tiers of English women’s football, the hope is that some of these participants will follow up top-level playing careers with similar success in the dugout and help address an issue that needs attention.