You’d never guess it from her thick London accent, but Emma Hayes has spent a sizeable portion of her professional coaching career in the United States and the third time, she says, is the charm. Hayes believes that soccer “will become the number one sport in this country.”
When she first arrived on Long Island, New York, in 2002 to coach the amateur Lady Riders team, the sport’s roots were only just beginning to take hold in the nation.
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Following a trophy-laden stint as the assistant coach with Arsenal in London, Hayes headed back across the Atlantic in 2008 to work with the Chicago Red Stars, the Washington Freedom and the Western New York Flash, and now – after more than a decade of dominance with Chelsea – she’s an Olympic champion with the US Women’s National Team (USWNT), hoping to lead the squad into the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year.
“This is my third iteration working in the country and I always knew that the youth game and the grassroots game was heavily (popular in) participation,” she told CNN Sports.
“But what I’ve seen this time around is the growth of the pro game, the fandom of the pro game, not just with the national team, the growth of the NWSL and MLS and the audiences that accompany them. It’s so easy to find soccer on TV now than it was for me 20 years ago and it’s a sport that no longer sits as third or fourth most popular.”
But the number one sport? “Yeah, when it comes to participation, I absolutely see that,” she confirmed.
Leading the team to the World Cup
Soccer is unquestionably booming in the United States, and the second World Cup on American shores is being met with passion and excitement. from coast to coast. CNN met Hayes at the new National Training Center where a glance at the trophies on display reveals that it’s the women’s team which has been the most successful on the international stage, with four World Cups and, thanks to Hayes’ leadership at the Paris Olympics, now five gold medals.
After all that she’s achieved in the game, how would it feel to win the World Cup? “Ah! I think, extraordinary,” she smiled, before quickly catching herself.
“But I’m also someone who’s very measured and know that you have to go one step at a time with those things. First of all, we have to qualify. It would be foolish to think about anything beyond just getting there first.
“The most important quality for myself and my team is to be completely present. Then I will contemplate what I need to do beyond that.”
It’s Hayes’ measured approach which has helped propel her to the top of the game – at Chelsea, she steered the Blues to seven Women’s Super League titles in a decade – and she also passionately believes in the relationships that she forms with her players.
“Use my wisdom, use my experience,” she explained to CNN Sports. “I’m a believer of behaviors. I’ve got to be consistent in everything I do: be authentic, be honest.”
Adapting to the squad
But she’s not just leading and inspiring her players, they’re also teaching her a thing or two.
“All the time I say that players are your greatest teacher,” she said. “As you age, they stay the same age. How you relate, how you connect changes with different generations, so I’ll often lean into what their subcultures are, what their interests are, or the things that motivate them.
“You have to be adaptable at this level, and I think they rub off on me in middle age, they’re getting me out of black clothes, they’re getting me to dance on the touchline!”
In an Emma Hayes squad, everyone is expected to get out of their comfort zone, and it’s clear that dancing, in particular, is uncomfortable for the coach.
“I’m leaning into it,” she laughed. “I ask all of these things of them to be their selves and to lean into being open with a growth mindset. So, I’m just doing it myself.”
To emphasize the point, Hayes revealed that she continues to educate herself on leadership techniques and recently spent time at the corporate side of Coca-Cola. “Learning from any industry or anybody I’m around is a big part of being at the top, that keeps me invested,” she said.
But despite her success, Hayes remains grounded. With an easy smile, she’s charming company, a no-nonsense persona for which she gives her family much of the credit.
“My players not only keep me humble but remind me that my job is in service to something and I work as hard as I can to make sure I deliver that. … My son keeps me busy; my mother keeps my feet firmly on the ground.”
How so? The USWNT head coach pauses for a moment, trying to summon the words of her mom to describe a blunt sentiment in a tasteful way.
“I probably couldn’t say it on camera,” she laughed, “but it goes along the lines of ‘Remember your bleep does still smell.’”
That may be true, but for now, it seems that the game she loves, and almost everything she touches is smelling like roses.
