Playing on a level playing field: successful women at the helm of men’s soccer teams

Today, women’s soccer is actively developing, and more and more representatives of the “weaker” sex are appearing in the management of men’s teams. The stereotype about the exclusive “masculinity” of this sport is gradually being destroyed. Thanks largely to women who have not only achieved great success in sports, but also led clubs as coaches and even presidents. We tell you about the six most beautiful leaders in men’s soccer.

Irina Moroziuk

Irina Moroziuk – the wife of Ukrainian footballer Mykola Moroziuk, who plays in Turkish Riserspor, became the first female president of a soccer club in Ukraine in October 2019. She published a photo with the entire Lyon team from the city of Lviv and wrote that she was happy to be the president of such a club.

Irina is not only a Lviv “lioness”, but also a socialite: the girl leads a public lifestyle and actively develops her profile in social networks. She also does commercials and promotes her own clothing brand. Irina is not afraid to epathetize subscribers neither in word nor in deed. In the summer in Instagram she spoke out against gender equality, criticizing women who advocate gender equality.

I imagine such a situation, I go out with my man from the market, he gives me a bag and says: “carry, baby, you are for equality!”. I would rather cook borscht than take the responsibility to provide for my family, etc. (Punctuation and style of the author are preserved – ed.).

Also in her profile Irina publishes very candid photos. However, she has nothing to be embarrassed about: at 31 Moroziuk looks 100%.

Tihana Nemcic

Another soccer beauty is Croatian Tihana Nemcic. For ten years Nemcic was professionally engaged in soccer: she played for the clubs “Agram” and “Dinamo”, played five official games for the women’s national team of Croatia. And after a knee injury, the girl had to say goodbye to the game.

In 2012, after the end of her playing career, Tihana graduated from the University of Zagreb in the field of physical education and sports. The administration of the men’s soccer club “Viktorija” from Vitkovac, having appreciated the experience and professionalism of the athlete, invited her to the position of head coach.

With such external data, Tihana could well become a model or win several titles in beauty contests. What, however, the girl and tried to do: in 2008, Nemcic participated in the contest “Miss Sports Croatia” and became its finalist. But even after the injury to give up her favorite game, she could not and remained in soccer, although already in the role of coach.

Imke Wubbenhorst

The 30-year-old Imke Wubbenhorst became the first woman in the position of head coach in men’s soccer in Germany. In 2018, she took charge of BV Kloppenburg from the fifth division of the German league. Prior to that, she coached the club’s women’s team and played on her own in the 2015-2017 season. From 2004, Imke was called up to the German national women’s team and managed to score 25 goals until 2008.

When Imke was first appointed head coach of the men’s team, a reporter from the German publication Welat asked her a provocative question during an interview – whether Wubbenhorst warns players before entering their locker room not to catch them naked. Probably in this way the journalist wanted to make a joke about the fact that a woman coaches male soccer players and embarrass Imke. It was not so easy to do so. She did not react to the provocation and calmly replied: “Of course, I do not warn. I’m a professional. I form the lineup by penis length.”

Natalie Henderson

And although Natalie was fond of soccer since childhood, she did not dream about the career of a player. The girl wanted to become a teacher of physical education, and at the age of 16 received her first coaching certificate. At the age of 20, she started working part-time as a coach at her hometown club, Newcastle United, and realized that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

In 2018, Henderson graduated from an elite training program for coaches from the English Premier League. She is now coaching Newcastle United’s future stars – the under-12 boys. And although a woman on the coaching staff is still frowned upon by some, Henderson believes that things have changed for the better over the past few years.

There are far fewer people looking at me with their mouths open now than there were three years ago.

Natalie believes that the most important thing in coaching is not nationality or gender, but professional qualities.

Every coach has his own qualities and experience to share with the players, and I think that’s what’s important – different people should be involved in the education of athletes.