The Manageress to become a reality?

[ramsbottom]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/12/forest-green-aim-break-new-ground-ppointing-first-female-manager 

The Forest Green Rovers chairman has said he could “break some new ground” by appointing the first female manager to work in English football’s top four divisions.

Interesting.  Would love to see it happen...

[Millenniumram]

Well, we’ve had male managers in the female game, so it’s only fair! Must be an interesting dynamic, but there’s of course no reason why a female manager can’t do as good a job as a man. Just hope the players give them the respect they deserve...

[Gaspode]

Oooh Cherie Lunghi to replace Wazza.....(though she's now 69 so maybe a bit too old for managing in League One...)

[RadioactiveWaste]

There's absolutly no reason women can't do the job on the grounds they are women.

Especially as the womens game has become more respected and professional, there are going to be female players who go into coaching having been pros and played the game at high levels. Do the job well and the players will respond.

 

[Day]

It's going to be tough for any woman to break into management, be accepted, you only have to look at the racial and homophobic abuse that still plagues not just the game but life in this country to know that she will be subject to all kinds of sexist abuse/chants.

I follow a few female Derby fans on Twitter and have seen them struggle just being fans voicing their opinions on the game.

Even a Sky Sports WSL tweet will be greeted with the who cares and back to the kitchen.

There is a lot of work to do to remove this "boys only" attitude, fair play to the first female manager to stand up and take this challenge on. 

[Mostyn6]

Football is rife with “toxic masculinity”. No way an egotistical young up-himself ‘baller is gonna respectfully take direction from a woman! 

[Posh Ram]

It'd be a great story to have a female manager in the Premier League or the EFL, but imo clubs need to do more to promote gender equality in the game. The first woman to be a head coach in the NBA is very likely to be Becky Harmon, who has been an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs for several years. I think that experience makes her much more likely to succeed coaching the men's game, as opposed to someone with no track record in men's sport. Why aren't there any women on the coaching staffs at top-flight football clubs?

[BaaLocks]

If it happens, it should do so because they're good enough - not because some lower league Chairman thinks it will get them a couple of slots on Football Focus.

[Olton Ram]

It's a bit strange that this is even an issue in the 21st Century. A lot of people will have had female bosses/managers in the workplace and not thought twice about it.

Football of course is very different.  The problem is possibly the lack of female coaches at every level. By the time a professional footballer is breaking through to the first team the chances are that he's never had a single female coach during his entire development, going right through the different age levels. The acceptance of female managers would probably be helped massively by the employment of female coaches in academies and youth set ups. 

There'll always be sexists and misogynists, but Twitter abuse and ignorance shouldn't stand in the way of women making a career for themselves in football coaching and management.

[DarkFruitsRam7]

3 hours ago, Mostyn6 said:

Football is rife with “toxic masculinity”. No way an egotistical young up-himself ‘baller is gonna respectfully take direction from a woman! 

Sadly, I think you're right. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be the case.

[Mostyn6]

4 hours ago, Posh Ram said:

Why aren't there any women on the coaching staffs at top-flight football clubs?

Because a significant part of the game is the dressing room. Blokes with their baalocks hanging out, inappropriate banter and masculine peer pressure. Most clubs think the dressing room dynamics are vital and relative to success, how long would clubs be able to maintain that before HR got involved and tribunals were kicking off due to “constructive dismissal” as the dressing room antics would just be too much for even your most hardened woman!