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WSL’s most successful manager: A banner in the stands with a picture of Chelsea head coach Emma Hayes at Kingsmeadow, Kingston
Pereira gives Gibbs-White time to prove fitness for Villa clash
ON TUESDAY, it was reported that League Two side Crawley Town had shown interest in Chelsea Women’s manager Emma Hayes. In 134 years of the men’s game there has never been a female manager — so who will be the one to shatter the glass ceiling?
Hayes seems the most obvious choice, with 10 years of experience at Chelsea and, having secured 11 trophies during her tenure, the numbers speak for themselves. She laid the groundwork for her career during 2006-8, where she was assistant manager of Arsenal Ladies, going on to becoming head coach and director of football operations at the Chicago Red Stars, a women’s football team based in Illinois, for two years before taking over the Blues.
The 45-year-old has a strong relationship with Chelsea men’s manager Thomas Tuchel, and has won the praise of other top football stars including Brendan Rodgers, Ian Wright and Didier Drogba.
As football grapples with overloaded calendars and commercial pressure, the Mariners’ triumph reminds us why the game’s soul lives far from the spotlight, writes JAMES NALTON
LARRY LAGE writes about the growth of tackle football and how it provides female athletes opportunities in a game previously dominated by men
