Women’s football in England is growing, but the people coaching the game still face barriers that are easy to overlook.
Women in Sport’s research found that 79% of women coaches who experienced discrimination identified their sex as a key reason. It also found that 18% fewer women than men felt their opinions were heard and respected.
The organisation warns that the shortage of paid coaching roles is also putting talent at risk, with 71% of sports CEOs agreeing that the sector is losing talented women because so few paid posts are available. T
These findings raise an important question: how can football make better use of women’s knowledge and leadership while providing them with fair opportunities to advance?
Even so, there are still fearless women who are taking the coaching profession by the horns. Today I’m diving into 30 female football coaches in England.
1) Renée Slegers
Renée Slegers was born on 5 February 1989 in the Netherlands. A knee injury ended her playing career, leading her towards coaching in Sweden in 2018.
Renée later managed FC Rosengård, winning Swedish league titles in 2021 and 2022, before joining Arsenal as an assistant in 2023.
Arsenal appointed Slegers permanent head coach in January 2025. In May that year, she led the club to the Women’s Champions League trophy, beating Barcelona 1 to 0.
She continues to coach Arsenal in England.
Slegers has explained how coaching changed her view of leadership.
2) Sonia Bompastor
Sonia Bompastor was born on 8 June 1980 in Blois, France. She played for Montpellier and Lyon before retiring in 2013 and moving into coaching.
As a coach at Lyon, she won three league titles and the 2022 Champions League.
Chelsea appointed her in 2024 to succeed Emma Hayes. In her first season, she won the Women’s Super League, FA Cup and League Cup, completing a domestic treble.
Bompastor has made her ambitions clear.
After the treble, she said, “Our ambition is to get better, for sure.” She also explained that winning the Champions League remained a goal.
She continues to coach Chelsea in England.
3) Eva Olid
Eva Olid was born on 28 August 1985 in Sabadell, Spain. She began coaching at her hometown club, working with youth teams and the women’s side. She later gained experience in the United States and Scotland.
At Hearts, Olid helped build a successful team, winning the club’s first Scottish Women’s Premier League title and reaching its first Scottish Cup final.
On 5 August 2026, Eva Olid was appointed head coach of Manchester United.
Her appointment gives her a new challenge in English football. She described the opportunity as “a dream come true”.
4) Rita Guarino
Rita Guarino was born on 31 January 1971 in Turin, Italy. She played as a striker, represented Italy and later coached the country’s Under-17 team.
In 2017, Juventus appointed her as the first head coach of its women’s team. She won four league titles in four seasons, along with two Italian Super Cups and one Italian Cup.
Rita Guarino later managed Inter Milan Women before joining England WSL side, West Ham, in December 2025.
In an interview about her appointment, Rita said she wanted a team that was “organised, aggressive with the ball”.
5) Karen Hills
Karen Hills is English and began her coaching career through Tottenham Hotspur’s community programme. In 2009, she became head coach of the club’s women’s team, which was competing in the fourth tier.
She helped Tottenham rise through the divisions and reach the Women’s Super League in 2019. That year, the League Managers Association named her Championship Manager of the Season.
Tottenham recognised her achievement in its report on her coaching award.
Hills later joined Charlton Athletic and helped the club win promotion to the top division in May 2026.
6) Amy Merricks
Amy Merricks is an English coach who started in grassroots football, where local clubs give many players and coaches their first opportunities. She spent eight years at Brighton, working with development players and the senior team.
Merricks later coached England’s Under-19 team before joining Birmingham City in April 2024. Birmingham won the WSL 2 title in 2026 and earned promotion.
Merricks has experienced both club and international football.
She told Women’s Soccer Coaching that the England opportunity was “timely for me.” Her interview about her coaching ambitions explains how she approached that stage of her career.
7) Jo Potter
Jo Potter was born in England and played in midfield for clubs including Arsenal and Birmingham City. After retiring from playing, she moved into coaching and later took charge of Rangers in Scotland in June 2023.
She won four trophies during two seasons at Rangers, collecting two cup doubles. Crystal Palace appointed her in June 2025, and she helped the club return to the Women’s Super League in her first season.
8) Charlotte Healy
Charlotte Healy is among the female football coaches in England who began at Derby County before working with the Football Association and youth teams at Manchester City and Liverpool.
She joined Manchester United in June 2019, first coaching the Under 21s and later working as an assistant to Marc Skinner. During her time there, the senior women’s team won the FA Cup in 2024 and reached three consecutive FA Cup finals.
Healy described her time at Manchester United as “six memorable years” when she left.
Bristol City appointed Charlotte Healy as the head coach in June 2025.
9) Jackie Bachteler
Jackie Bachteler was born and raised in Massachusetts, United States. She played professional football for four years before moving to Sweden in 2012 to combine playing and coaching.
Her career later took her to clubs in Sweden and Cyprus. She also worked as a sporting director at BP Fotboll in Sweden and as an assistant at San Diego Wave in the United States.
Burnley appointed her manager of its women’s team for the 2026 season.
Bachteler brings experience from several football systems to England.
10) Tanya Oxtoby
Tanya Oxtoby was born on 15 June 1982 in Wickham, Western Australia. She began coaching Nottingham Forest Women in 2012 before working with Perth Glory, Australia’s Under-20 team, and Birmingham City.
Tanya managed Bristol City from 2018 to 2021 and later joined Chelsea’s coaching staff, helping Emma Hayes win league titles and FA Cups.
She then coached Northern Ireland’s women’s team before Newcastle United appointed her in 2025.
Oxtoby now leads Newcastle’s women’s team in the WSL 2. When she joined the club, she described herself as “excited and honoured.”
11) Melanie Reay
Melanie Reay is an English female soccer coach who played as a striker for Sunderland before moving into coaching. After retiring from playing in 2010, she worked with the women’s academy at Gateshead College.
Sunderland appointed her assistant coach in 2015 and head coach in March 2017. She also led England’s Under-23 team at a tournament in Norway in 2018.
In June 2025, Melanie Reay earned her UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching qualification in European football.
Reay continues to lead Sunderland’s women’s team.
12) Renée Hector
Renée Hector is an English former player who represented Tottenham Hotspur and Watford. She planned to become a coach after playing and began developing her skills through youth football.
At Watford, she worked in youth development and coached the Under-21 and Under-23 teams. She later joined England’s Under 17 coaching staff in 2023 before taking charge of Watford Women in the WSL 2.
Hector’s coaching journey profile explains how she moved from playing into coaching.
13) Sarina Wiegman
Sarina Wiegman is among the best female football coaches in England, born on 26 October 1969 in The Hague, Netherlands. She coached the Netherlands to the 2017 European Championship and the 2019 World Cup final before taking charge of England in 2021.
She led England to European Championship victories in 2022 and 2025 and to the 2023 World Cup final. England’s success at Euro 2025 made her one of the most successful national team coaches in women’s football.
Wiegman continues to coach the Lionesses in England.
14) Janneke Bijl
Janneke Bijl is Dutch. She played for the Netherlands before an injury ended her playing career and led her towards coaching.
She worked with the Dutch football association’s youth teams and later became a senior assistant coach. England appointed her as an assistant to Sarina Wiegman in 2025.
Bijl now works with England’s senior women’s team. She described her coaching style as “player-oriented,” explaining that she likes to build a good bond with players.
15) Lydia Bedford
Lydia Bedford is English and began her career as a teacher before developing her coaching skills through the Football Association. She worked across England’s youth teams before managing Leicester City and joining Arsenal as an assistant coach.
In 2023, she became the first woman to coach a Premier League club’s Under 18 boys when she joined Brentford. She later worked in Canada, becoming the inaugural head coach of Calgary Wild FC in the Northern Super League.
Then returned to the Football Association in 2026 as England’s women’s national under-23 football team.
16) Kerri Welsh
Kerri Welsh is an English former player who spent eight years at Aston Villa. She was club captain when Villa won the Championship in 2020 and earned promotion.
She began coaching Villa’s Under 16 girls in 2020 and later led the Under 21 team. In August 2025, the Football Association appointed her head coach of England’s Under 17 team.
17) Lucy Faraday
Lucy Faraday works in England’s national youth coaching system.
She first worked as an assistant coach with England’s Under 17 team under Kerri Welsh. In February 2026, she became head coach of the Under 16 team, with Shauna Duffy as her assistant.
18) Remi Allen
Remi Allen is an English former professional player who represented clubs including Aston Villa and Birmingham City. She also played for England at youth level and began developing her coaching skills while still playing.
She worked with England’s Under-23 team through the England Elite Coach Programme. She later managed London City Lionesses and Southampton before joining Crystal Palace as an assistant in 2025.
In 2026, Allen returned to the England Under-23 setup as an assistant coach.
19) Izzy Christiansen
Izzy Christiansen is an English former England international who played 31 times for her country. She won the Champions League with Lyon in 2019 and collected several major trophies with Manchester City before retiring in 2023.
She returned to Manchester City as a youth coach and became head coach of its Under-21 team in 2025. She also joined England’s Under-23 coaching staff.
Christiansen has said she wants to coach at the highest level. In an interview with Manchester City, she explained, “I would like to be coaching a Champions League football club.”
20) Hope Powell
Hope Powell was born on 8 December 1966 in Lewisham, England. She played for England before becoming the country’s first full-time women’s national coach in 1998.
She led England to the 2009 European Championship final and coached Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. She later managed Brighton for five years before joining Birmingham City as women’s technical director in 2023.
21) Emma Hayes
Emma Hayes was born on 18 October 1976 in Camden, London, England. She began her coaching career in the United States in 2001 and later joined the best women’s soccer league to work at Arsenal before joining Chelsea in 2012.
During nearly 12 years at Chelsea, she won 14 major trophies, including seven league titles. In 2024, she became head coach of the United States women’s national team and led the side to Olympic gold in Paris.
Hayes now works in the United States.
22) Mo Marley
Mo Marley is among female football coaches in England, based in Liverpool. She played for Everton and represented England 41 times before moving into management.
She took charge of Everton in 2002 and won the FA Cup in 2010. She also led the club into the Champions League three times. Marley coached England’s Under-19 team to the European title in 2009.
Marley later worked with England’s Under-23 team before retiring from international coaching in 2023.
23) Casey Stoney
Casey Stoney was born on 13 May 1982 in Basildon, England. She played 130 times for England and captained Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. She began coaching while still playing for Chelsea.
Manchester United appointed her as their first women’s head coach in 2018. She won the Championship and promotion before moving to San Diego Wave in the United States in 2021.
There, she won the 2023 NWSL Shield and the 2024 Challenge Cup.
Canada Soccer appointed Stoney head coach of its women’s national team in January 2025.
24) Rehanne Skinner
Rehanne Skinner was born in England and began coaching at Leicester City, where she became first-team manager at 26. She later coached England youth teams and worked as an assistant with the senior national team.
Tottenham appointed her head coach in 2020, and she led the club to fifth place in 2022. She later managed West Ham before Sunderland appointed her technical director in June 2026.
25) Carla Ward
Carla Ward was born on the Isle of Wight, England. She played for clubs including Sheffield United and Bristol City before beginning her coaching career at Sheffield United.
She later managed Birmingham City and Aston Villa. At Villa, she guided the team to fifth place in 2023, its best league finish at the time, and reached an FA Cup semi-final.
Ward joined Emma Hayes’ coaching staff for the United States’ Olympic gold medal campaign in 2024.
In January 2025, Carla Ward became head coach of the Republic of Ireland women’s team.
26) Natalia Arroyo
Natalia Arroyo was born in Spain in 1986 and developed her football knowledge there. After her playing career ended, she coached Catalonia’s women’s team before joining Real Sociedad in 2020.
At Real Sociedad, she led the club to second place in the league, earning qualification for the Champions League.
Aston Villa appointed her in January 2025, but the club dismissed her in September 2026 after a difficult start to the season.
27) Kelly Chambers
Kelly Chambers, now known as Kelly Cousins, is an English coach who captained Reading as a player. She became the club’s manager in 2012 after retiring from playing.
She helped Reading move into the second tier and then the Women’s Super League in 2016. In 2018, Reading finished fourth in the top division and reached an FA Cup semi-final.
Chambers left Reading in 2023 and later became sporting director of Utah Royals in the United States.
28) Gemma Davies
Gemma Davies is an English coach who managed Aston Villa Women and led the team to the Championship title in 2020. The win earned Villa promotion to the Women’s Super League.
She later worked with England’s youth teams, helping young players prepare for senior international football. In December 2025, she joined Bay FC in San Francisco as an assistant coach.
Davies now works in the United States.
29) Lauren Smith
Lauren Smith is a Welsh coach who began at Bristol City in 2010, working with the Under 14 team. She later became the club’s technical director for young players and coached Wales youth teams.
She became Bristol City’s head coach in 2021 and won the Championship in 2023, earning promotion. She later coached England’s Under-19 team and took temporary charge of the Under-23s in 2026.
Smith subsequently joined Manchester City’s coaching staff. Her career includes youth development, senior club management and international coaching.
30) Melissa Phillips
Melissa Phillips is an American coach who became the youngest head coach in the top level of United States college soccer at 23. She moved to London in 2020 and joined London City Lionesses as an assistant coach.
She became the club’s head coach in October 2020 and helped it compete for promotion. She later worked at Angel City in Los Angeles before joining Brighton in April 2023, where she helped the team avoid relegation.
Brighton dismissed Phillips in February 2024. Now, Melissa Phillip is currently Head of Analysis with Women’s Super League club Arsenal
Final Whistle
Female football coaches in England work across club sides, national teams and player development programmes. Their responsibilities vary, but each role contributes to the standard and future of the women’s game.
More opportunities, fair treatment and clear routes into senior positions can help the next generation of coaches build lasting careers.
Do you know a female soccer coach in England who was left out of the list? Send in their name, and we’ll write about them next.
