Football needs great characters and for twelve years, English women’s football was all the more interesting for the presence of one of the sport’s most charismatic coaches in the form of Emma Hayes; never afraid to speak her mind, never boring and hardly defeated. Perhaps the Women’s Super League and wider English football didn’t fully realize how much Hayes was missing until she brought her Olympic champions to London and reminded everyone what a difference a touch of personality can make in helping a sport grow.
The match itself was quite boring, but the American coach somehow took advantage of the opportunity. The tone was set early this week when Hayes hosted a press conference at a pub in Camden. Where else? She joked about the venue smelling like “farts and feet” before pouring a few pints behind the bar. It would be unfair to label the twelve current WSL managers as boring by comparison, but it is undeniably true that none of them can command the attention of a room the way Hayes can, guarantee as many column inches or generate as much attention to a friendly conversation. fixture.
On sideline night, Hayes was as animated as ever. At times in the first half it felt like she was giving almost non-stop instructions to her players, gesturing for specific positional adjustments or highlighting points that could be made. Discussing that with reporters after the match, US centre-back Naomi Girma said: “She does a good job of giving us information on the pitch when we need it, and doesn’t make it stressful, just educational. She just brought belief to the team. She gives us the opportunity to play with freedom and just go out and have fun. She brings that energy. When you play under her you just feel that freedom in whatever you do and you feel like you can go out and express yourself.
Hayes had said in the build-up to the match, well aware that there would be an element of curiosity surrounding whether or not she would sing any of the national anthems, that she would probably ‘hum’ along instead.
When the moment came, the 48-year-old couldn’t resist a small smile as a television camera panned to her during the national anthems. But when questioned about that topic at her post-match press conference, another example of Hayes’ know-how in handling the more tricky questions came with ease, saying, “I smiled because I could see Naomi and Lynn.” [Williams] looking at me because I was definitely saying the national anthem.
“I am proud to be English and I am proud of our national anthem. And I’m also very proud to coach America and I’m very proud of that national anthem. Two things are possible at the same time, and I’m not going to run away from it. I know we want to fuel some sort of, I don’t know, ‘nationalist debate’ around it. The reality is that both countries are very dear to me for many reasons and I am very proud to represent them both.”
During Friday’s pre-match press conference, Hayes was also unafraid to speak out in support of Barbra Banda, after the Orlando Pride forward was the subject of a barrage of online abuse for a week. Likewise, after the match she was experienced enough to speak calmly about the booing from large sections of the Wembley crowd directed at one of her own players, Korbin Albert, in relation to the controversies surrounding the midfielder and Alberts’ use of social media alleged anti-LGBTQ+. viewed. Rather than brushing aside such issues, Hayes knows such topics need to be discussed and often uses her platform for social good.
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It would be virtually impossible to measure the impact her departure from the WSL has on the prominence the division receives, but it feels as if this season has missed the off-field stories, rivalry and drama that the seven players have lacked . The WSL title winner seemed to attract attention wherever she went, for better or for worse.
She seems increasingly comfortable in her role with the new Olympic champions, and her tenure with the US could extend beyond her existing contract, which runs until 2027. If so, it’s entirely possible that Hayes goes down as the female equivalent of Brian. Clough in the belief that she might one day be ‘the best Lionesses manager the Lionesses never had’.