FIFA have shocked the world of women's football with a new rule that will reshape the game as we know it. They have ruled that all national teams and club competitions in women's competitions must now include either a female head coach or assistant coach.
The new regulations are set as follows. Every team must have at least two women's staff members on the bench. One of those must be either the head or assistant coach, and the rules apply immediately across all women's FIFA competitions.
The scope of this change is enormous; it applies to both youth and senior tournaments at club and country levels. It will come into effect during the U17 and U20 World Cups and the FIFA Women's Champions Cup. The FIFA Council approved the decision as part of what FIFA describes as a long-term strategy to improve female representation in coaching roles.
This reflects that, at the 2023 Women's World Cup, only 12 of the 32 head coaches were women. Among them was Sarina Wiegman, England manager, who went on to become the only female coach to reach the quarter-final stage of the tournament. Though more national sides now have female managers, like Spain.
Jill Ellis explained FIFA’s position, saying, “There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines.”
This decision is part of a broader strategy that combines statutory changes, development programmes, coach education and long-term professional investment to increase female participation, including ahead of the World Cup in Brazil next summer.
Emma Hayes has previously described the lack of female coaches in English football as a “massive issue” and has urged football authorities to develop more creative solutions.
In the WSL only three teams would currently comply with FIFA’s Rules. Only a third of WSL managers are female, including those at Aston Villa, West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal. Two clubs do not appear to have any female head coaches or assistant coaches.
But there are no high-calibre women's managers at every club and country team, which could lead to a bidding war.
Ironically, Marc Skinner, Manchester United manager, says he “absolutely welcomes it,” but does it not put his own job at risk?
He did say coaches need time and space to learn their trade. "It has got to be at the right experience level and exposure so that those people don't fail," he said. "They will learn more from their failures, but I think it is about opportunity as well as them being ready.
"With the players coming out of the game now, with the experiences they've had, there will be a rich vein of coaches coming through."
Alongside their positive reactions to the policy, the coaches consistently mentioned the need for adequate provision to be put in place to allow players to develop into coaches.
While the professionalisation of the women's game in England has raised on-field standards, Leicester manager Rick Passmoor cautioned against fast-tracking players into prominent roles.
"We've had trailblazers in the past, and the bar is higher now," he said. "There must be pathways for players nearing the end of their careers. There are many roles they can step into.
"We need to make sure anybody - player or coach - gets experience on and off the pitch. On the pitch is 20% of the job; the rest is the 60 to 70-hour week."
Arroyo agreed, adding: "It is like [being] a teacher. It is not only about knowing the things that you are teaching - it is about knowing how to teach."
Looking at the top 10 nations in the world, six would already be compliant, although only four have female head coaches.
"To give equal opportunity, sometimes you need to inject," said Arsenal manager Renee Slegers. "I'm very proud to be part of Arsenal, where there are so many women working at a really high level."
The rationale is to spark a rapid increase in female representation in coaching roles.
The Women's Super League says growing the number of female coaches is a priority and is taking a "thoughtful approach" in conjunction with the FA.
They point to several established pathways, such as the Coaching Initiative, mentoring, and an elite female coaching programme, designed to improve women's access to the top levels of the English game.
Slegers added that anything the WSL could do, whether by regulations, influencing or role modelling, was "powerful".
Aston Villa's Natalia Arroyo, one of the four female WSL managers, said this is a "difficult subject" but agreed football needs to ensure women are being given opportunities.
"I appreciate that the organisations that can dictate what future we are building are making decisions that help women to get more opportunities," she said. "Let's see how it works."
Slegers echoed her thoughts, saying progress has been made since she retired from playing in 2018.
"I see coach educators, I see opportunities, I see at all different levels that it's growing, which is great," said Slegers. "I see federations making efforts, and that's really good."
While I feel this policy came from a place of good intention, the way it has been done is terrible. People should be in positions based on merit, not on their gender.
If we choose a woman over a capable man, we are as bad as the patriarchy, which did not let women work; we would become our own hypocrites.
I take the same perspective Ellie Roebuck has that the most important factor is “who is best equipped for the job It is upskilling to make sure that we can develop female coaches so that they are in the best possible position to be the best possible candidate for the job," said Roebuck. With Thai regWithio, there is increased access to female coaches; female coaches said the gender of their coach does not affect the relationship.
I want more female managers, but it feels like we are going backwards. We need to invest in developing strong female managers like Sarina Wiegman, rather than just adding a woman to the team to tick a box.
To also enforce this with immediate effect is wrong, as it puts pressure on clubs and the FA to sack and hire people. Why sack someone capable, but because they are a man who does not align with the Equality Act 2010?
Instead, FIFA should arguably focus its time on energy in coach programmes, getting women into management and giving them access to complete the relevant training.
It feels like the game is going backwards, moving away from equality and towards enforced segregation, alienating parts of the workforce and fanbase, and risking becoming as flawed as the system women’s football was meant to move away from.
I want to progress.
I don’t want it at the cost of fairness, merit, or credibility.
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