Manchester United's Marc Skinner Supports FIFA's Female Coach Mandate
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner has expressed support for FIFA's recent policy requiring increased female representation among coaching staff.
FIFA has introduced a significant regulation mandating that teams participating in its tournaments must include female coaches. According to the new rule, each team must have at least two female staff members on the bench during matches, with at least one serving as an assistant or head coach. This regulation applies to both international football and FIFA club competitions.
Reviewing the top 10 ranked nations globally, six already comply with the rule, although only four have female head coaches. This raises questions about whether the English game needs to take further action.
Compliance in the Women's Super League
In the Women's Super League (WSL), BBC research indicates that only three teams currently meet FIFA's requirements. Approximately one-third of WSL managers are female, while two clubs appear to lack any female head or assistant 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."
FIFA's new requirements will come into effect for the under-17 and under-20 Women's World Cup and Women's Champions Cup competitions later this year. The objective is to accelerate the increase of female representation in coaching roles.
The WSL has stated that increasing the number of female coaches is a priority and is adopting a "thoughtful approach" in collaboration with the Football Association (FA). They highlight existing initiatives such as the Coaching Initiative, mentoring programs, and an elite female coaching program aimed at improving women's access to top coaching positions in English football.
Slegers added that any measures the WSL can implement, whether through regulations, influence, or role modeling, are "powerful."
FIFA's Female Coaching Mandate and WSL Club Practices
FIFA's rules require women's teams to include female coaches on their staff. This raises questions about whether WSL clubs are overlooking qualified English female coaches.
Emma Hayes, then Chelsea manager, described the lack of female coaches as "a massive issue" and called for creative solutions to increase female coaching representation in English football.
Mixed Reactions and Calls for Patience
At the 2023 Women's World Cup, 12 of the 32 head coaches were women, including England manager Sarina Wiegman. Natalia Arroyo, one of four female WSL managers at Aston Villa, acknowledged the complexity of the issue but agreed on the importance of providing opportunities for women in coaching.
"I appreciate that the organisations that can dictate what future we are building are making decisions that help women to get more opportunities," Arroyo said. "Let's see how it works."
Slegers shared similar views, noting progress since her retirement from playing in 2018.
"I see coach educators, I see opportunities, I see at all different levels that it's growing, which is great," she said. "I see federations making efforts and that's really good."
In 2024, Emma Hayes emphasized the need for football regulators to develop "creative ways" to address the shortage of female coaches in English football.
"We have to think of creative ways to get women into coaching," Hayes said.
Marc Skinner, who began managing in women's football a decade ago, welcomed the policy but stressed the importance of allowing coaches time and space to develop.
"It has got to be at the right experience level and exposure so that those people don't fail," Skinner 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."
While the coaches expressed support for the policy, they consistently highlighted the need for adequate structures to enable players to transition into coaching roles effectively.
Leicester manager Rick Passmoor cautioned against rushing players into prominent coaching positions despite the professionalization of the women's game in England.
"We've had trailblazers in the past and the bar is higher now," Passmoor 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, comparing coaching to teaching.
"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."
Player Perspectives on Coaching and Gender
Aston Villa and England goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck, who plays under female coaches Sarina Wiegman for the Lionesses and Natalia Arroyo at club level, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live about the importance of qualifications over gender in coaching roles.
"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," Roebuck said.
While FIFA's regulations aim to increase female access to top coaching jobs, Roebuck noted that a coach's gender does not affect player-staff relationships.
"I don't think necessarily because they are female or male that it brings a different element to things," she said. "I'm just fortunate that I've been managed by Sarina and Natalia now and they are brilliant female coaches.
"It's easy to form a relationship with them, but that's not to say that I haven't had equal relationships with male coaches in the past either.
"The majority of the goalkeeping coaches I've had have been male, and I find it easy enough to build equal relationships with both."
Additional Resources and Related Content
Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie have returned for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes are released every Tuesday on , with interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond available on the Women's Football Weekly feed.
For the latest news on the Women's Super League, visit our dedicated page.
