Chelsea Ladies FC boss Emma Hayes wants the female equivalent of the Rooney Rule to be implemented in England to help women land jobs in football. In case you are unfamiliar with the Rooney Rule, it is a rule in the National Football League that requires teams to interview minority candidates for football operations and coaching positions. There is no such rule in England, much less one for women.

You would be surprised to find out that Emma Hayes is the only female manager in top flight football which does sound a bit strange. In most women’s sports in the United States it appears that a great deal of the coaches are women but that is not the case in English football. Football in England appears to be even more of an “old boy’s club” than American football in the states and Hayes just may be the trailblazer needed in the sport.

“When I was 17 I did a B License and had no opportunities in the UK so I opted to go abroad and work in America for 10 years where the understanding of female coaches was very different to England. There are also legal reasons why that is the case. Title IX in America provides equal opportunities for females to interview for positions in the same way it is hoped the Rooney Rule will (for Black and Minority Ethnic coaches). “Universities and colleges also have to interview a minimum number of female candidates. That allows you get in the door and hopefully from there your knowledge and experience will shine through. We’ve heard so much about introducing the Rooney Rule but I don’t hear enough conversations about putting in place things so that females can get interviews. “Ultimately I think clubs, boards, associations have to do more to provide an equal platform for women to get interviews for jobs. That made a massive difference because instantly if I was applying for a job, I knew if I had the same qualifications and experience that I would get an interview. “From there you still have to impress and knowledge is key to surviving in this industry because you have to manage large groups of people who are looking up to you as an expert to help guide them. But it’s given me opportunity. One of the biggest challenges you face as a female manager is getting a foot in the door to be interviewed fairly.”

Source: Sky Sports

The challenge of course is that there is not the same collegiate system in place in the UK for sporting development as there is in the United States. With hundreds of colleges across the country giving female coaches the opportunity, it is a great place for aspiring coaches to get the experience they need. The pressure of the English football academy system may not be as open to giving women like Emma Hayes the opportunity, but perhaps with the growth of women’s football in the country more and more opportunities will arise.