Jonas Eidevall: Arsenal boss says lack of female coaches a problem
- Published
Emma Hayes (left) at Chelsea, Carla Ward with Aston Villa, Reading's Kelly Chambers and Tottenham manager Rehanne Skinner are the four female managers in the WSL
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall says female coaching is the "most under-tapped resource" in professional football.
Four of the 12 Women's Super League coaches are female.
But Eidevall says the lack of women in coaching positions is not completely isolated to the women's game.
"In all the technical staff in the professional clubs in the men's side, how many women do you have there?" he said.
"In all other parts of society you have females, female presidents and prime ministers, but you can't have a female coach coaching in the Premier League for some reason. Why?
"It [female coaching] has to be single-handedly the most under-tapped resource in professional football. I can't get my head around how that is possible," he added.
Eidevall said the problem extends further than the women's game - there has never been a woman in charge of a Premier League or Football League side.
"It's not the WSL that is the problem - it's a big problem that there are not more female coaches. That's not the WSL in isolation, that's the whole game.
"There is no reason why you can't be female and be a top coach."
In November 2022 the Football Association released a strategy for the future of women's football called Inspiring Positive Change.
Among the various promises and targets, English football's governing body stated an aim for 75% of female coaches to be in manager or head-coach roles.
But Eidevall said nothing has changed despite the targets outlined by the FA.
"Nothing happens still and people are very content that nothing is happening," he said.
Following Hope Powell's departure from Brighton and the appointment of Jens Scheuer, along with Lydia Bedford being replaced by Willie Kirk at Leicester, only a third of current WSL managers are female.
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