Elitfotboll Dam has launched an exciting new initiative to increase the number of elite coaches in women’s football. This initiative aims to promote the education and development of coaches in order to enhance the quality and growth of women’s football at the elite level.
Despite significant growth in women’s and girls’ football, the development of female elite coaches has not followed the same trajectory. With this initiative, Elitfotboll Dam, together with Akea, Sundström Safety, EPOS, and GameInsight, aims to create a long-term and sustainable change.
Sundström Safety is behind the EPOS network and has already made great strides towards gender equality by working to bring more female elite coaches to the forefront. The company is currently a partner to many clubs and specialized sports federations, and now also to Elitfotboll Dam.
There is a need for more female role models in leadership positions.
One challenge faced by girls’ and women’s football is that many players quit between the ages of 16-20, according to a study conducted by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF). One of the reasons cited is the lack of female role models in leadership positions.
Successful female coaches have a direct impact on the success of women’s football.
International football shows that the most successful women’s national teams over the past two decades have been led by female head coaches. In fact, 15 of the last 18 winners of the Olympics, World Cup, and European Championship have had a female head coach. A clear winning formula, worth investing in.
Examples of successful female coaches include Christina Theune and Silvia Neid, who won seven titles with Germany; April Heinrichs, Pia Sundhage, and Jill Ellis, who brought home five titles to the USA; Sarina Wiegman, who won two European Championships with both the Netherlands and England and was recently in the World Cup final; and Bev Priestman, who coached Canada to Olympic gold in Tokyo two years ago, defeating Sweden in the final after a penalty shoot-out.
Read the Elite Coaching Pathways report 2024 here.
