The report cites figures showing that only 22% of head coaches across 669 clubs in 86 women’s leagues are women. At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, just 12 of 32 national teams had women in charge.
Those are not fringe numbers. They point to a pattern.
Growth in the women’s game has not automatically meant equal access to the technical area.
The report also highlights the coaching pathway itself. In England, the UEFA Pro Licence is described as an 18-month course with a cost of around £14,000. Before that, coaches must already hold the UEFA B and UEFA A badges.
That matters because the pipeline is still thin. The report says women made up only 3% of roughly 190,000 UEFA-recognised licensed coaches in 2019. UEFA has reportedly made progress since then, with around 25,000 women holding C, B, A or Pro licences in 2024, helped by scholarships, mentoring and a minimum 10% reservation of places for qualified female candidates.
Licensing is only part of it. Hiring remains the harder barrier. The report points to the circular problem that defines coaching careers: you need experience to get hired, but you often need a hiring gamble to get the experience.
That is why examples matter. Laura Harvey and Bev Yanez are cited as women who have built authority through long careers in the game. Eva Olid’s reported move to Manchester United is another sign that clubs are looking more closely at proven women coaches. But the broader picture is still narrow, not open.
The next step is not another fictional miracle appointment. It is whether more clubs, federations and licensing bodies turn incremental progress into normal practice before the next hiring cycle begins.