Emma Hayes has been one of the most successful managers of this generation in women’s soccer. The 47-year-old started her footballing career as a midfielder at the Arsenal academy in 1988 but it ended prematurely due to a career-threatening ankle injury that she sustained while skiing.
After taking a hiatus from football, she started her managerial career by coaching the women’s football team at Liverpool Hope University and switched clubs throughout her career till she hit a jackpot in Chelsea.
Currently, she is employed with the United States Women’s National team and is striving to bring back their glory days as they embark on mission Paris Olympics 2024.
Emma Hayes’ decorated coaching career explored
After her two-year stint at Liverpool Hope University, Emma Hayes helped Long Island Ladies win the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference. Coming back to England in 2006, Emma Hayes led the Arsenal ladies as an assistant coach to glory and helped them a total of eleven titles within a span of two years. The trophies included Three FA Women’s Cups, three Women’s Premier League titles, and one UEFA Women’s Cup.
After her stint at Arsenal, Hayes served some time at the Chicago Red Stars before becoming the technical director at Western New York Flash. She also served as a consultant at Washington Freedom around this time.
In August 2012, Emma Hayes finally joined Chelsea after the resignation of their previous manager Matt Beard. Her first game as the manager of Chelsea resulted in the team winning 1-0 against Doncaster Rovers Belles on August 18, 2012.
Emma Hayes’ glory days in Chelsea started in the 2015 season when she guided the team to an iconic double, winning the FA Cup and the league. However, her side was knocked you of the Women’s Champions League in the Round-of-16 stage. Her side won the FA WSL1 again in the 2017-18 season but were defeated by Birmingham City in the FA Cup semi-finals via penalties.
After an underwhelming 2018-19 season, Chelsea got fresh blood in their squad in the form of Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder, Ann Katrin Berger, and others and won consecutive WSL trophies in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, respectively. The team also reached the Champions League final but were defeated by an inspired Barcelona Femeni side. In the 2020-21 season, she also won the FA WSL Manager of the Season and The Best FIFA Football Coach awards.
Chelsea announced Emma Hayes’ eventual departure after the season’s closure at the start of the 2023-24 season. Although Chelsea were eliminated from the Champions League and the women's FA Cup, they won their 5th WSL title in a row to bid adieu to Emma's highest on a high.
After achieving everything at a club level, Hayes is currently on course to help the USWNT win gold at the Olympics 2024 to add to her illustrious repertoire of trophies.
FAQ's On Emma Hayes coaching career
A. Emma Hayes has a five-year-old son who was born on May 17, 2018.
A. Emma Hayes is a native of Camden, London.
A. Emma Hayes had an emergency hysterectomy in 2022 to deal with her endometriosis.
