England coach Sarina Wiegmann calls for more women coaches in football. Men would do great work too. But it’s about a better balance.
“I think we need more female coaches. The balance has to be better,” said the 53-year-old Dutchwoman at the press conference after the 0-1 draw against Spain in Sydney on Sunday (08/20/2023).
“It’s not that men aren’t welcome because I think there are a lot of men in women’s football who are doing great work and have been there for a long time,” said Wiegman. “But it would be nice if the balance was better. We have to work on that to make it better.”
only twelve head coaches at World Cup
The governing bodies UEFA and FIFA would do this, but the national associations also had to give women opportunities. Only twelve out of 32 teams traveled to the World Cup with a woman as head coach. Wiegman got the furthest, while Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, for example, with the German selection, was eliminated after the preliminary round.
Inspiration for women and children
Wiegman was European champion with the Netherlands (2017) and England (2022), but, as with the “Oranje” team, missed the World Cup title in the 2019 final against the USA (0: 2). She hopes, Wiegman said, that everyone will now see that women are inspired and think, “Okay, now I’ll be a coach or I’ll do something in women’s football.” At the same time, she also hopes that more children will play football after this tournament.
FA are desperate to keep Wiegman
Wiegman is highly respected as a coach. Before the final, there was even a discussion about whether she was also a suitable candidate to coach England’s men’s national team. “Why does it have to be a man?” asked FA Director Mark Bullingham. It’s always about the best person for a job. The English association has already rejected possible attempts to poach its successful trainer from abroad.