FIFA has mandated that every team participating in its women’s competitions must have at least one female head or assistant coach.
In order to enhance the number of women coaching at the highest level, the World Football Organization has implemented new laws that include this mandate.
The rules, which were adopted by the FIFA Council on Thursday, will be implemented starting with the Women’s Champions Cup and the U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cups.
Each club must also have a minimum of two female staff members on the bench, according to FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis.
According to Ellis, this is now a prerequisite for all of its women’s competitions, from youth to senior.
“There are just not enough women in coaching these days.
We need to do more to hasten change by making roads more apparent, giving women more opportunity, and raising their profile on the sidelines.
“Together with focused development initiatives, the new FIFA rules represent a significant investment in the present and future generations of female coaches,” she stated.
Ellis pointed out that only 12 of the 32 head coaches for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia were female, a statistic FIFA claimed did not accurately reflect the sport’s explosive global expansion.
After the round of 16, Sarina Wiegman of England was the only female coach remaining, she continued, and she went on to guide her side to a second-place result.
According to Ellis, 22% of head coaches were female according to FIFA’s 2024 “Setting the Pace” benchmarking report, which polled 86 women’s leagues globally.
According to her, the new regulations were a part of a long-term plan to guarantee that women’s representation in technical and leadership positions kept up with the expansion of women’s sports.
The organization also stated that it has been supporting women’s coaching more in recent years, offering scholarships to women in elite leagues so they can earn UEFA Pro or A coaching licenses. (NAN/Reuters)
