Barriers keep women from top coaching roles in football 2026

Hannah Dingley remains the only woman to manage a senior men's professional team in England despite holding elite coaching qualifications.

Hannah Dingley’s coaching journey Hannah Dingley spoke to the press in April 2023 while serving as the sole female head coach of a men’s English Football League academy at Forest Green Rovers. By July 2023, she made history as the first and only woman to lead a senior professional men’s team in England after being named caretaker manager of the club. Despite earning praise from club chairman Dale Vince, who called her 'the natural choice,' she was replaced by Southampton under-23 manager David Horseman just two weeks later after managing three pre-season friendlies. Today, Dingley serves as head of the girls academy at Manchester City and continues to address obstacles facing women in coaching roles. ## Stereotypes block women’s coaching paths At 42, Dingley holds a degree in sports science, a master’s in sports coaching, and a Uefa Pro Licence, yet she feels her credentials are often questioned simply because of her gender. During a discussion with a parliamentary committee, she described hearing repeated assumptions that women possess only maternal instincts or nurturing traits. 'You’ll have maternal instincts, you know you’ll be great with those little ones,' Dingley recalled being told, adding that such views imply women lack the necessary qualities for elite coaching. She shared how her A Licence qualification led her to a role with under-9 teams despite being more qualified than many male coaches working with older age groups. ## Unequal coaching pathways for men and women Dingley pointed out stark differences in coaching pathways between men’s and women’s football in England. In men’s football, every academy player aged 16 to 18 who is part of the Professional Footballers’ Association receives the Uefa C Licence as their first step. With 92 clubs in the English Football League and Premier League, approximately 1,000 coaches enter the system annually this way. However, the PFA only recently began supporting players in the second tier of women’s football, meaning generations of players missed out on structured coaching pathways. Dingley stressed the need to start female players earlier so they can transition into coaching once their playing careers end. ## Leadership bias and Fifa’s new quota rule The lack of diversity in leadership was highlighted, with Dingley questioning whether predominantly male decision-makers are truly open to hiring women. In March, Fifa introduced rules requiring at least one female coach on the technical staff for women’s tournament teams, effective at the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups and the Women’s Champions Cup. Dingley called this a positive step but stressed it must be part of broader efforts to improve pathways, accessibility, and retention for female coaches. Fifa’s chief football officer Jill Ellis described the regulations as 'an important investment' while acknowledging the need for clearer pathways, expanded opportunities, and greater visibility for women in coaching roles. ## Parliamentary committee weighs quota impact Sarah Owen, elected chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, echoed Dingley’s concerns, noting that change has been too slow to happen organically. 'It’s sad it didn’t happen organically. But at the current rate of change, we wouldn’t see any change,' Owen stated. She expressed reservations about quotas for quotas’ sake but emphasized they must accompany cultural shifts to avoid forcing women into unsatisfying roles. Owen and Dingley both highlighted the principle that 'if you can’t see it, you can’t be it,' underscoring the importance of visible role models in coaching. ## Sexist backlash hits first female Bundesliga coach Marie-Louise Eta became the first woman to manage a men’s team in one of Europe’s top five leagues in April 2026 after being named interim head coach of Bundesliga side Union Berlin. Shortly after her appointment, she faced sexist remarks, prompting club director of football Horst Heldt to defend her. 'It’s embarrassing. I’ve noticed it, but I also refuse to expose myself to that kind of nonsense because for me this is about quality - leadership quality,' Heldt said. He added, 'I find it insane that we have to deal with this.' ## Women’s Super League coaching landscape Next season, the Women’s Super League will expand to 14 teams. Currently, seven clubs (50%) have a female head coach, including Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Charlton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and West Ham. In Women’s Super League 2, four out of 10 teams are led by women. Combined, 46% of managers across both leagues are female, showing progress but also highlighting ongoing gaps in representation. ## Calls for accountability on social media abuse Sarah Owen proposed holding social media platforms accountable for abusive content targeting women in coaching roles. 'With social media, and particularly X, it’s a free for all and it is destroying people,' she said, citing examples where women at the peak of their careers faced relentless online attacks that deter others from pursuing similar paths. Owen argued that platforms must be held responsible for the destructive nature of their environments and the impact on aspiring coaches. ## Fifa and FA launch initiatives to support female coaches Fifa has introduced a female health and performance project designed to better support coaches and optimize outcomes for women athletes. Dan Clements, head of coach development at the FA, outlined the organization’s commitment to increasing female coaches through accessible qualifications, tailored development opportunities, and clear coaching pathways. For the past three seasons, England’s Under-23, Under-19, and Under-17 teams have been led by female homegrown coaches, and at the last Euros, both finalists Spain and England were coached by women. ## National federations set gender inclusion targets The German Football Federation has launched the Women in Football 2027 strategy, aiming to boost the number of active female players, coaches, and referees by 25%. The FA also noted a record number of women, including Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Steph Houghton, and Izzy Christiansen, graduated from the latest Uefa A Diploma cohort. Despite these advances, Clements acknowledged that more work remains to achieve full gender equity in coaching. 'We recognise there is still more work to do,' he said, emphasizing collaboration with clubs and leagues to evolve the support system for female coaches.