FIFA will require female head or assistant coaches in all its women’s tournaments to address the severe shortage, starting with the Under-20 World Cup in September.
FIFA has approved a groundbreaking regulation requiring all teams in its women’s tournaments to have a female head coach or assistant coach.
The measure aims to address a persistent lack of female coaches despite the rapid growth of the women’s game.
It will take effect starting with the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in September. The rule will also be enforced at next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil and future club competitions.
New rules mandate at least two female staff on the bench, which can include the mandatory coach. Teams will also be required to have one woman on their medical staff.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today,” said FIFA’s chief football officer Jill Ellis. “We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines.”
The new regulations apply to all youth and senior tournaments, national team competitions and club competitions. FIFA hopes they will complement existing development programmes.
These include a coach scholarship programme supporting 795 female coaches across 73 member associations. An Elite Performance Coach Mentorship programme has also paired 20 experienced and emerging coaches for three years.
Last summer’s Women’s Euros set a record with seven female head coaches. This still represented fewer than half of the teams in the tournament.
Only 12 of the 32 head coaches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup were women. Four of the 12 teams in England’s Women’s Super League are currently led by female coaches.
Separately, FIFA confirmed hosts for the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups will be decided at an extraordinary congress later this year. The United Kingdom is the sole bidder for the 2035 edition.
The UK bid proposes using 22 stadiums across 16 host cities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It would be the largest single-sport event ever held in the UK.
The Sun Malaysia
