Leadership may have come naturally to Derby County Women head coach SAMANTHA GRIFFITHS, who has been in charge for six years. But, as she tells CARRIE DUNN, some parts of management took some getting used to.By Steph Fairbairn

‘Emotionless’ on the sidelines, but with a competitive streak that has taken her from youth soccer to the elite level, Central Coast Mariners head coach Emily Husband takes Carrie Dunn on a journey through her career...By Steph Fairbairn

Experiencing menopause and perimenopause symptoms is not ‘just a part of life’ – there are ways you can manage them. Performance specialist and S&C coach ERICA SUTER MULHOLLAND explains how to CARRIE DUNN.By Steph Fairbairn

For Palmeiras head coach CAMILLA ORLANDO, soccer has always been about more than just results. She tells CARRIE DUNN about her passion for inspiring youngsters, developing the game and her own high ambitions.By Steph Fairbairn

One of US college soccer’s most successful coaches, BECKY BURLEIGH led the University of Florida program for 25 years and coached a star-studded Orlando Pride. She talks principles, people and Marta with CARRIE DUNN.By Steph Fairbairn

In 1980, self-confessed soccer novice ALICEANN WILBER became William Smith College’s first head coach – 44 years, 640 wins and two national titles later, she is a Hall of Famer who tells CARRIE DUNN she still loves her job.By Steph Fairbairn

Gotham City head coach Juan Carlos Amoros, 2023’s NWSL coach of the year, opens up to CARRIE DUNN about adapting to different cultures, delegating wisely, an emotional Spurs reunion and not being a ‘superhero’.By Steph Fairbairn

When it comes to understanding player behaviour, human development specialist Sally Needham says neuroscience holds the key. She explains to Carrie Dunn how to harness it and transform coaching relationships.By Steph Fairbairn

A goalkeeper grounded in futsal, Paige Palazzolo is now head coach of the US Women’s Amputee National Team. She tells Carrie Dunn how she came to be in the role and the challenges and triumphs it can bring. Plus Women's Soccer Coaching Editor Hannah Duncan, and Editor-in-chief, Steph Fairbairn, discuss three years of WSC! Read the article: Women's …

Earlier this year, Chelsea Noonan took a leap of faith - leaving behind what she describes as her “dream job” to move halfway across the world for a new challenge. Previously, Noonan worked for the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) as a development officer and as assistant coach for the U17s women’s national team. Now, she is in Melbourne, work…

Carolina Morace is the new leader of the pack at London City Lionesses. But what lured the Italy icon to England’s second tier? She discusses the reasons and how she gets her playing style across with Steph Fairbairn. Read the article: Women's Soccer Coaching - Coaching Advice - Carolina Morace: Leading London City Lionesses (womenssoccercoaching.c…

In a year’s time, history will be made for Lincoln University of Missouri when its women’s soccer team begins its first-ever season. The team will compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, an NCAA Division II level league. It will be led by Leah Stringer, a former interim head coach at Missouri Western and assistant coach at Northeast Texas Com…

“Success, for me, is a process,” says Boston University women’s soccer head coach Casey Brown. “It is the process of trying to become great,” she adds. “It is the process of trying to become better every day. It’s the journey. “That’s how we view it in our program. That’s how I try to view it in the way I lead and coach. “It is not a destination bu…

In the final episode of our special series, Steph Fairbairn and Matt Ross, Republic of Korea Assistant coach, catch up after Korea held Germany to a 1-1 draw. Matt reflects on a brilliant performance and result, ponders why it took so long for Korea to show what they can do, explains what life will look like for him over the next few weeks, and off…

In episode three of our special series, Steph Fairbairn and Matt Ross, Republic of Korea Assistant coach, chat once more. It's the day after Korea's 1-0 loss to Morocco, which leaves them at the bottom of their World Cup group. Matt reflects honestly on his team's performance throughout the tournament so far, shares more about his support system, a…

In the second episode of our special series, Steph Fairbairn and Matt Ross, Republic of Korea Assistant coach, chat again. This time, it's the day after Korea's 2-0 defeat to Colombia. Matt shares his thoughts on the game, how the team's attention has quickly turned to the next fixture against Morocco, and what his schedule is like as a coach at th…

In the first episode in a special series, Steph Fairbairn sits down with Matt Ross, Republic of Korea Assistant coach, to get an insight into what goes into being a soccer coach on the biggest stage of them all. It's the night before Korea's first match - a Group H fixture against Colombia. Matt shares how the team have prepared, how they want to p…

In July 2021, Molly Bartrip rejoined Tottenham Hotspur, the club where she had started her career as a nine-year-old. Bartrip was 25 at the time of her homecoming, which she called a “full circle” moment. She had been away from the club for 16 years, most recently at Arsenal and Reading, and hit 100 WSL appearances in April this year. However, “ful…

For the first time since 2007, Denmark are going to the Women’s World Cup. An outstanding qualifying campaign – winning all eight games, scoring 40 goals and conceding only two - was built on the lessons from last year’s Euros. On that occasion, Denmark didn’t get out of a group which also contained Germany, Spain and Finland. Heading into this tou…

In the first season of the USL W League - a pre-professional women’s soccer league in the USA - Minnesota Aurora lived up to its name and shone. Nicole Lukic’s team topped the Heartland Division, winning 11 of 12 games and drawing the other, scoring 35 goals and boasting the second highest goal difference across all the league’s seven divisions. Sa…

In December 2021, Meg Ryan Nemzer took on her dream job – head women’s soccer coach at the University of Maryland. For the Maryland native, getting offered the role was a ‘full circle’ moment. Nemzer attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she was co-captain for three consecutive seasons and a key pillar of what many called the best defens…

For Sarah Lowdon, the past year has been somewhat of a whirlwind. She went from being unemployed - a volunteer coach at college level - to acting head coach on the US’s biggest stage. Having left Penn State University in 2021 and joined NWSL team Houston Dash in March 2022 as an assistant coach, Lowdon was elevated to acting head coach just weeks l…

In 1992, the backpass rule was brought in by soccer lawmakers IFAB - and inadvertantly changed one player’s career. Introduced to discourage time-wasting, the rule dictates that a goalkeeper cannot handle the ball following an intentional pass from a teammate, made using the foot. It had a significant effect on the role of the goalkeeper and how th…

Anja’s journey - from being a lone girl in boys’ teams to among the most qualified and well-respected female coaches in Denmark - has been one in which she has “said yes to every opportunity”, As a player, she worked her way through the youth national teams, before gaining seven caps for the senior team. A midfielder, she was part of the Danish squ…

Mirelle van Rijbroek is the person currently in charge of unearthing the next rough diamonds to be shaped into sparkling gems. Since 2017, van Rijbroek has been the US Soccer Federation’s (USSF) Director of Talent Identification for the girls’ pathway, a job she says is more a “way of life”. Born in the Netherlands, van Rijbroek moved to Australia …

On November 20, under the lights at Sky Stadium, and in front of up to 34,500 fans, Wellington Phoenix will make history. When the team kicks off their 2022-23 A-League Women campaign, it will be the first time a professional women’s soccer team from New Zealand have played on the country’s soil. Phoenix joined the league last season as an expansio…

In their first year as an NWSL expansion team, and despite finishing eighth in the standings, Angel City FC had one of the best defensive records in the division, bettered only by the top three. It is something the new Los Angeles team prides themselves on, says head coach Freya Coombe. And it is no coincidence that they have achieved it with Coomb…

Rachel Lever is women’s youth academy manager at Manchester City, overseeing the under-16s and under-21s. She also lives, and coaches, with endometriosis. It is a debilitating condition, where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Some of the key symptoms include severe pai…

In November 2017, Carla Ward joined Sheffield United - then in the fourth tier of the English women’s pyramid - as player assistant manager. She had just left United’s cross-city neighbours Sheffield FC, who were in the second-tier WSL 2. It was the classic case of an experienced head dropping down a couple of divisions to offer the benefit of thei…

Part 1 - Amy Rodriguez - A-Rod's New Era All-time US great AMY RODRIGUEZ is taking her first steps into coaching after accepting an offer to return to the college where her storied playing career began. She reveals to STEPH FAIRBAIRN how it all came about... Part 2 - Lou Roberts - Stoking the Fire She lived a dream by captaining her hometown club. …

Elite girls’ soccer in Wales has just come to the end of a transformative season – the first in which the Football Association of Wales (FAW) Trust Girls’ Academy u14s and u16s squads competed against boys. When this plan was announced in April 2021, Lowri Roberts - head of women’s and girls’ football at the FAW, and the spearhead behind this new a…

Reflecting on how the female game has changed over the course of her coaching career is no mean feat for Tracey Kevins. During her near 20-year career in soccer, it has, she says, developed immeasurably into something that would have seemed “too far a reach for the female game” when she started out. Kevins was at the FA between 2005 and 2012, opera…

Stephanie Savino is counting down the days until May 17, when the first ball is kicked in the new USL W League. A revived and slightly tweaked version of the 1995-2015 iteration of the W-League, the competition is described on its website as “the nation’s pre-professional league, developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the …

Keri Sanchez comes with a glowing resume – a standout playing career intertwined with, then followed by, a number of high profile, successful coaching roles. Sanchez’s first step into coaching came in 1996 with a call from the former goalkeeper coach of her college team, the North Carolina Tar Heels: Bill Steffen. Steffen was going to restart the U…

Each coaching role offers its challenges. Some, however, are more challenging than others. Coach Michele Nagamine currently holds one of those more challenging roles. Since December 2010, she has been head coach of the women’s soccer program at the University of Hawaii. They are one of 11 teams in the Big West Conference – the other 10 are all base…

Katayoun “Kat” Khosrowyar is studying for a Masters degree in global affairs at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The purpose, she tells Women’s Soccer Coaching, is to “put all my skills, abilities and experience under one umbrella”. It would need to be a sizeable umbrella. Growing up in Oklahoma, with Iranian heritage, Kat became an avid soccer p…

2021 saw FC Barcelona Feminí become the first Spanish club to complete a continental treble – winning the Primera Division, Copa de la Reina and, for the first time, the Uefa Champions League. Women's Soccer Coaching sat down for an exclusive interview with manager, Jonatan Giraldez.By Liv Griffiths

Growing up in Dublin in the 1980s, Lisa Fallon had one female soccer role model – Gabriella Benson. A woman working in a male-dominated environment, Benson oversaw a professional men’s team – unprecedented at that time. There was one problem. Benson was fictional – the lead character in UK television series The Manageress. It still had an impact on…

Heather Dyche says the question she gets asked most is: ‘What advice would you give coaches looking to carve their own career path in soccer?’. You need only look at Dyche’s packed Twitter bio to work out why. She is head coach of the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) women’s team, on the technical staff of New Mexico United, a FIFA technical expert…

Yolanda Thomas - head coach of Tulsa Soccer Club and director of coaching for its girls program - has spotted a trend that needs addressing. “We all know we need more women coaching,” she notes. “But if we’re going to have more women coaching, inevitably we’re going to end up with more mothers. “If we want these women to keep coaching, how can we s…

As a player, Denise Schilte-Brown set college scoring records on her way to playing professionally in Germany and representing her native Canada. And in almost 25 years as a coach, she has mentored some top strikers, including current Canada breakthrough star Evelyne Viens. It is fair to say Schilte-Brown knows where the net is - and knows how to b…

Ex-Canada star CARMELINA MOSCATO is back in coaching again after a nomadic post-retirement life. STEPH FAIRBAIRN caught up with her to discuss her philosophy and how coaches can seize control of their careerBy Steph Fairbairn / Carmelina Moscato

As a World-Cup winning goalkeeper, successful youth coach and head coach of the US Deaf Women’s Team, AMY GRIFFIN knows how to get her message across. She explains her methods to STEPH FAIRBAIRNBy Steph Fairbairn / Amy Griffin

Gemma Donnelly has been on one hell of a journey. And she knows precisely when it first turned in her favour. It wasn’t in 2019, when the Blackburn Rovers team she leads were finally granted promotion to the FA Women’s Championship – the second tier of English football – after three successive seasons dominating the division below. It wasn’t even i…

On February 2nd, 2020, Rebecca May’s brief substitute appearance in a Women’s Super League game at Reading made Manchester United history. The 18-year-old’s five-minute cameo saw her become the first player to graduate through United’s entire youth system, from under-10s, to the fledgling first team. It was a proud moment for all who knew the teena…