Women’s football has been receiving a lot more attention in the last decade, especially since the England team won the UEFA Cup in 2022. It’s much more common to see women’s football on television and in the news, and the players are becoming well-known too.
Ladies such as England captain, Leah Williamson, can boast over a million followers on social media accounts, and others, such as Alisha Lehmann have many more.
Although, if I’m being totally honest, I’m not convinced the majority of Lehmann’s followers are interested in her sporting ability… Google her and you will see what I mean.
The point is, women’s football is gaining legitimacy in public opinion.
However, are women gaining the same sort of legitimacy in football in general?
Despite men managing female football teams – Phil Neville famously managed the Lionesses between 2018 and 2021 – the idea of a woman managing a men’s team still seems a way off.
Why? Is it time for female managers to make their mark on men’s football?
The First Female Football League Manager Has Already Happened
Bet you didn’t know that, did you?
It’s true though. In July 2023, Hannah Dingley was put in charge of League 2 side, Forest Green Rovers on an interim basis. She was only in the position for 2 weeks and it was out of season too, but nevertheless, Hannah created history.
Dingley was already working at the club as the academy manager, and it’s not known if she applied for the first team role full time. She led Forest Green out for a pre-season friendly against non-league team Melksham, drawing 1-1, before heading off with them to Ireland for another match.
Here’s what she had to say about her experience:
🗣️ “I have a lot of experience”
Hannah Dingley on her experience as Forest Green Rovers caretaker boss and making history 💬 pic.twitter.com/bWctEKoNDQ
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 22, 2023
There have been other female managers of men’s teams in lower leagues in England, such as Natasha Orchard-Smith who managed Arlesey Town, but never within the EFL.
Long before this, Helena Costa became the first female to manage a professional men’s football team in France. In 2014 she took the reigns at Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot. She quit soon after, accusing the club of amateurism, but was replaced with another female, Corinne Diacre.
Is There a Difference Between Male and Female Managers?
Having thought about it quite a lot, I would have to say no, there’s not. No more than there is a difference between short and tall managers.
The rather silly debate on social media about whether or not a women’s team could do well in the Premier League is different. Women are, on the whole, slighter than men, they are built differently and the way the game is played isn’t the same.
A female player should not be playing against a male player. Not professionally anyway.
When it comes to management though, there are no physical attributes required. Technically, the manager of a football team could be physically disabled and still do a great job.
Because management is all about what you can see, how you think, and human relationships:
- Anyone with eyes can read a game of football. Some might be better at it than others, but this is down to their knowledge, experience and intelligence. It has nothing to do with gender.
- Anyone with a brain can make tactical decisions. Again, the success of those decisions will be down to the mental abilities of the person making them, but will have nothing to do with gender.
- Anyone who can speak can create, develop and maintain relationships with other people. It is their character that dictates how fruitful these relationships are though, not their gender.
You can’t even make the argument that female managers don’t have the right sort of background having come from the women’s game.
Plenty of super successful managers had forgettable careers as players. Arsene Wenger was the equivalent of a non-league player for most of his career. Jose Mourinho was the same. Brendan Rodgers career was ended by injury aged 20, Gerard Houllier only played at an amateur level, and Avram Grant never played at all.
All of these men have managed Premier League clubs.
Having female managers in the men’s game might even bring interesting new layers to big leagues and competition. Who knows?
Women in Other Areas of Men’s Football
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You have probably noticed more and more women getting involved in men’s football.
Commentators, TV show presenters, pundits and guests, pitch side analysis interviews – all of these areas are introducing more female faces. The increase in females surrounding men’s football has definitely accelerated in recent years, but it’s not a totally new thing: who remembers Soccer AM, the Saturday morning comedy football show co-hosted for 22 years by Helen Chamberlain?
The Football Manager video game has even introduced women’s football
It’s only a matter of time before a professional club gives a female manager a shot, and when they do, it won’t be a diversity hire either.
There probably is a bit of that going on in terms of who you see on TV, but the manager’s job is too important for virtue signalling.
What you might not know, is that women have been working as part of the coaching staff at men’s teams as well as managing youth teams behind the scenes. There are approximately 5,000 female coaches working in England according to FA figures, and 4,000 of them are working with men’s or boy’s teams.
What do you think the career progression will be for these women as they become more experienced and develop their skills?
With clubs hiring women in so many other areas within football, and the stakes in the women’s game getting bigger, the first full time female manager of a professional male team is coming.