She took Eastern to the Hong Kong Premier league title at the age of just 27. And now she has her eyes on a job in Europe

Forget the East Midlands, perhaps the biggest story of the football year is in east Asia, where Eastern won the Hong Kong Premier League title in April. The wait since the last championship had been 21 years but the headlines were all about the 27 year-old head coach Chan Yuen-ting.

Just days after lifting the trophy, she was presented with another prize. This time it came from the Guinness Book of World Records, for being the first woman to win a top-flight title in men’s professional football.

“I never thought this would happen,” she tells the Guardian. “I am not accustomed to all the attention – the photos, the interviews, the videos. It has not been good or bad. I just wanted to do well and if I do then attention is normal. People tell me my story is positive and encourages fans to chase their dream, not to give up and the media helps me spread that message.”

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It needs spreading. Women in the men’s game are almost non-existent. French second division team Clermont Foot appointed Helena Costa as head coach in 2014. She lasted 49 days before resigning. There was a lack of respect she said, with key decisions made behind her back. Club president Claude Michy claimed different forces were at play. “She is a woman,” he said. “They are capable of leading us to believe in certain things.” He then hired another female, Corinne Diacre.

Chan’s success can only help other women. “Maybe I can be a good example,” she says. “It depends on the culture of the region. In Hong Kong, between men and women, there is no discrimination. We are really fair. I am young and a woman and the club gave me a chance.”

It came in December, as the former head coach at Eastern left to take up a post in China. As the only member of the coaching staff with a license from the Asian Football Confederation, Chan was offered the job.

Despite her age, her involvement in the top tier of Hong Kong football goes back six years. The lack of professional women’s football in the former British colony at least facilitated an early start to a coaching career for ‘Beef Ball’ (the nickname is a long story involving the similarity of one of her names to a Cantonese character and her personality to the traditional Chinese view of a cow), even if her parents preferred the more traditional vocation of teaching. She started with Pegasus in 2010, as a video analyst, and five years later made the Eastern move. Little did she know that she would soon become the boss.

“At the beginning [after taking the job], I regretted becoming head coach. I was scared. I didn’t think I was qualified to lead one of the top teams in Hong Kong. I lacked experience but the club, the staff and the boss kept talking to me, encouraging me and supporting me.

“After one or two days, I felt better but I was nervous.” A 6-1 win in the opening game helped as did a second game victory over Eastern’s closest challengers, South China. “That gave me confidence.”

Chan gives plenty of credit to the outgoing coach Yeung Ching Kwong. “He built the team’s style and we knew the strengths and weaknesses of our players.” The one-time David Beckham fan tweaked rather than tinkered. “At the half season point, we sat and watched all our games so far and analysed our weaknesses. I tried to solve our defensive problem as we sometimes lacked concentration and balance.” Being top sometimes made it harder. “Other teams sat back and it was difficult for us to score. We had to improve our movement in order to break down a compact defence.”

It worked. The title was clinched with a 2-1 win at South China on 22 April. “When the game ended, I felt I was dreaming. All the staff came to me and told me to smile as I could not. It was amazing. All season everyone had worked so hard.” Then came the headlines. First in Hong Kong, then China then Asia and the world.

“To be honest, her success doesn’t surprise me – women are disproportionately successful as coaches once they are given the opportunity,” said Moya Dodd the former Australia international and Fifa Executive Committee member. “We see this in women’s football, where all but one of the major world tournaments since 2000 have been won by female-coached teams - even though most of the coaches are male.”

The only surprise for Dodd is that the opportunity was actually there. “I’m sure many women coaches will be greatly heartened by her success and recognition. Currently women coaches are all but foreclosed from jobs in men’s football, which is where probably 99% of the money lies. The gender pay gap in coaching is more like the Grand Canyon.” Dodd would like to see more women given coaching chances in both sides of the game.

Chan, who has already been offered a job by a Spanish second division club, will stay with the men for the near future. Eastern will most likely be in the Asian version of the Europa League next season and that will be an exciting challenge.

After that though, there should be plenty of options. “In Hong Kong, I will keep working in men’s football. One day, if a national women’s football team want me, I am happy to go.”

“But it depends on the opportunity. I would love to work in the USA or the UK or elsewhere in Europe. I want to keep improving and learning first. There is still so much to learn.”