Why are there no female coaches in elite women’s soccer? A qualitative study of Spanish female coaches

Abstract

Spanish soccer coaching is almost exclusively male-dominated. Even in women’s soccer, women rarely have the opportunity to develop as coaches. Although some female ex-players have coached youth teams, very few have made it to directing elite female teams. The objective of this research was to examine the opinions of women coaches who have reached an elite level to understand the shortage of female coaches in Spanish women’s soccer. Fifteen female coaches with a mean coaching experience of 14 years underwent semi-structured interviews. The main factors identified as barriers were work conditions, low pay, gender stereotypes, lack of female role models, and a lack of effective hiring strategies. Despite this, it seems that, besides external discrimination, decisions made by women themselves have contributed to the lack of female coaches in Spanish elite women’s soccer.