The example of Michele Kang, who is now the majority owner of three women’s football clubs, shows on the one hand how influential a woman can be in this sport. On the other hand, in all three of the clubs she owns, it is exclusively men who hold the position of coach, CEO/Head of Women’s Football or Director of Football.

So the question is partly justified as to whether there are generally few women who are qualified enough to hold these positions? And, what are the reasons that more men hold positions in women’s football than women?

‘The Rise of Women’s Football’ took a detailed look at the gender distribution at the top decision-making level of women’s football clubs. Find out here what the gender balance in the top five women’s football leagues (Frauen-Bundesliga, Women’s Super League, Première Ligue, Liga F and National Women’s Soccer League) actually looks like.

Ratio of 135 to 108: men still dominate ON executive level

The first major finding that stands out when taking a closer look at the key decision-makers is that there are indeed more men than women among the total of 242 leadership roles – consisting of board members, CEO/Head of Women’s Football, Technical/Sporting Director and head coaches – in the top five leagues. In figures, this means a ratio of 135 men (56 %) to 108 women (44 %).

However, it should be noted that in the Spanish and US league in particular, some clubs have multiple female board members, whereas this is not the case for their male counterparts. If these positions were counted as singly occupied, the ratio would change to 135 (65 %) to 73 (35 %) – meaning almost twice as many positions occupied by men compared to women.

Table 1: Gender Balance in the top five women’s football leagues sorted by Board, CEO/Head of Women’s Football, Technical/Sporting Director and Coach

The male dominance is particularly pronounced when it comes to coaching positions. Out of a total of 66 top clubs, 56 (85 %) are coached by men and only 10 (15 %) by women. There are currently no female coaches in Germany (note: Theresa Merk is currently being replaced by Nico Schneck at SC Freiburg on an interim basis during her parental leave). However, the other top leagues are also dominated by men. England still sets the record here with four female coaches (compared to eight men).

Looking at the whole picture, the USA is living up to its reputation as a pioneer in women’s football when it comes to the fight for gender equality. More women occupy the top positions here: 47 (66 %) of them, to be precise, compared to 24 men (34 %). However, it should also be noted that 33 of these 47 women alone hold board positions.

The other side of the coin can be seen in the French Première Ligue. There are only three women (9 %) compared to 30 men (91 %) and men dominate management decisions at all levels. If the balance of power is to change, this is where the most change needs to take place compared to the other top leagues.

Table 2: Position distribution in the top five women’s football leagues

Tatjana Haenni: “Fortunately, change is slowly starting to happen”

Tatjana Haenni, Chief Sporting Director of the NWSL, names the following reasons for the current situation:

“It is complex. The lack of women can be explained by the current decision-makers not having women in their network fitting for the position or do not give them a chance. Or well-qualified women do not apply because the job is not attractive enough due to where it sits in the structure, lack of decision-making power and/or resources. In addition, the pipeline which gives the needed training and experience comes from men’s professional football, where there are almost no women in high positions.”

Haenni further explains: “In some cases, we have women as owners because they have the needed financial background and see it as a business investment. For interesting and well-paid positions, you attract enough talent, men and women. Historically, women working in women’s football often don’t get the resources, the support needed and are getting frustrated as a result. Fortunately, change is slowly starting to happen as more women are given the time to develop, be supported and progress to higher positions with more resources. Women’s football should never be structurally below men’s football, or worse under the Youth Academy.”

Yvonne Harrison, CEO of Women in Football, adds: “Currently reporting of workforce data across the industry is inconsistent and lacks transparency, but the trends demonstrate that women are underrepresented in senior roles in football and it is imperative that this changes.  Diversity of thought is crucial to any board, or leadership team.”

“Following the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, we launched our open Doors Agenda which called for a minimum of 30% women on senior decision making bodies, senior decision making bodies to include independent none-executive members and for decision makers to be recruited by transparent processes and to serve fixed terms of office.  This is one of the ways football can drive progress.  We also have over 600 women who have participated in our flagship Women in Football Leadership Course, in partnership with Barclays and look forward to bringing women in the industry together in March 2025 at our Be Inspired Conference, in partnership with Barclays at Wembley.”

“Training, network and opportunity all matter when it comes to getting more women into these roles within the women’s game.”

Outlook for change

In order to find the right formula for a healthy gender balance and participation in leadership positions in the future, two important factors in particular are required above all: time and giving women the opportunity to prove themselves. Year after year, more and more women are becoming enthusiastic about football and are only realising on closer inspection that they have the qualifications to make a contribution in this sector as a career path.

The current gender imbalance at the top is primarily due to the fact that football has long been associated with competition between men – especially in Europe, where there was no room for women for a long time. It is only in recent years that this system has been called into question – not least due to the rise of women’s sports and the questioning of the status quo.

Since then, countless examples have shown that women can very well and quite successfully occupy leadership positions in football. Female colleagues bring different perspectives to the table and may have a different – and sometimes more effective – approach to issues. However, many of these pioneering women had to overcome twice as many hurdles as their male colleagues.

The end goal should be two-fold: to enable more women to make their way into management and to increase the visibility of those who have already succeeded at the top. A quota could be useful for a transitional period, but should by no means be the ultimate goal. After all, filling a position should not be a question of gender, but of quality alone.

Note: all table numbers were retrieved on 17 November 2024