The female game has trouble keeping its English managers while WSL clubs prioritize the hiring of coaches abroad with a wider public profile rather than focusing on the talent basin in its banks, Sport Mail understand.
The high flight has lost much of its talent towards the United States due to a lack of employment opportunities in the United Kingdom, as well as the lifestyle benefits that accompany work across the Atlantic.
The figures will somehow demonstrate the problem, with only four of the 12 managers of the WSL being English and only two of them occupying permanent positions (Marc Skinner of Manchester United and Rehanne Skinner of West Ham).
With regard to the United States, the NWSL the same number of English coaches in the best jobs, with Sam Main (Angel City), Seb Hines (Orlando Pride), Rob Gale (Portland Thorns) and Laura Harvey (Reign de Seattle) all roles roles. Beyond that, around 75% of NWSL clubs have an English coach in their ranks.
WSL has frequently faced its lack of diversity between sexes in the main roles. However, this imbalance seems to have moved towards the end of the season. Of the five managers rejected throughout the campaign – four men and a woman – four were replaced by chief coaches and one by one man, which led to an equal male management split.
But it is always to be feared that the best coaching talents will not receive the greatest opportunities in England due to clubs preferring to search for individuals with greater “brand” built abroad. The initiates believe that this is motivated by many high -flying decision -makers who look at recruitment via a male objective – probably the result of all WSL teams which are now affiliated with Premier League clubs.
Marc Skinner of Manchester United is one of the two permanent English WSL coaches in the post
The high flight has lost much of its English talent in the United States
This is a concern that is shared between coaches in England, notably Carly Davies of Nottingham Forest, whose team is three games from the promotion of the third level.
“There are only 12 WSL jobs, and at least a third of them are held by managers and foreign coaches,” said Davies Sport Mail. “It becomes more and more difficult to obtain jobs. There are 24 teams in the two professional leagues – it’s not much.
When asked if she was in a hurry to reach the WSL, she replied, “I can see why people suggest that it is now or never, because in the end, if you don’t get out there, you will get lost in the mixture.
“There are many people who go from the male game and many foreign managers who come, so you are in direct competition all the time.
“For me personally, I am not in a hurry. I went there and I did it. I did not succeed in the WSL, but I was part of the transition and the process at Aston Villa, so I know what this stage looks like.
“There is obviously a pressure that works for Nottingham Forest which is a large club and on an ascending trajectory. We want to go up the leagues as quickly as possible, but we have to do it in the right way.
The national male and female teams of England are currently led by non-English head coaches to Thomas Tuchel and Sarina Wiegman. When asked if it disincited English coaches to play the best roles, Newcastle’s female coach, Becky Langley, replied: “ When I watch a sarina (Wiegman), he is inspiring to see a strong female leader in this role.
“Whatever nationality must be the strongest person for work, because it is the best job in England and we want the best manager of this position to help our lionesses to success.
Carly Davies of Nottingham Forest (on the left) benefits from the initiative of excellence of FA training, in particular by learning to build a personal mark and to shape the perceptions of the media
The diversity of the sexes of the WSL has improved this season, leaving an equal male-wife split
“I think we all want to see an English coach go into the ranks and become the manager of England, of course we do it, but at the same time, it must be the best person for work,” added Langley.
The FA has deployed the Coaching Excellence Initiative (CEI) as a way to connect the best promising coaches, as well as to focus on creating their media skills to extend their brand awareness.
Davies, whose forest side seems to be intended to reach the championship next season, is one of the recipients of the CEI program, which aims to fill the gap between the UEFA A license (focused on football and coaching) and the professional license (the highest available coaching certificate).
The CEI program’s success stories include the Republic of Ireland and, more recently, the head coach of Aston Villa, Carla Ward, and the current acting manager of Liverpool, Amber Whiteley.
“We do a lot about the personal brand and how you want to be perceived,” Davies said, who spent 20 years at Aston Villa in a play and coach capacity as well as contain the U19 before joining Forest, “said.
“The media are really widespread in the game now, especially in the female game. I was fortunate to be with the FA for 10 years, so I had a lot of good experiences, but being actively in front of the media is relatively new to me.
“I think it will be something that I will withdraw from lessons – how to qualify to manage difficult situations.
