CHICAGO (November 14, 2023) – The US Soccer Federation has named Emma Hayes as the 10th full-time head coach in the history of the US Women’s National Team.
Hayes, 47, the long-time coach of Chelsea FC, one of the most successful women’s teams in Europe, began her coaching career in the United States at the dawn of the millennium and will take charge of the team more than two decades later. USWNT.
“It is a great honor to have the opportunity to coach the most incredible team in the history of world football,” Hayes said. “The feelings and connection I have with this team and with this country are deep. I have dreamed of coaching the United States for a long time, so having this opportunity is a dream come true. I know there is work to do to achieve our goals of winning consistently at the highest levels. “To get there, it will take dedication, devotion and collaboration from players, staff and everyone at the United States Soccer Federation.”
“Emma is a fantastic leader and world-class coach who sets high standards for herself and everyone around her,” said US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “She has tremendous energy and an insatiable will to win. Her experience in the US, her understanding of our soccer landscape, and her appreciation of what it means to coach this team make her ideal for this position and we couldn’t be happier to have her leading our National Team. Feminine”.
US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker led a global search process and made the final decision to name Hayes as head coach. Hayes will become the highest-paid women’s soccer coach in the world.
Hayes will finish the 2023-24 Women’s Super League season in England and then officially join the U.S. team two months before the start of the 2024 Olympics. Interim head coach Twila Kilgore will continue in her role and then join the staff de Hayes full-time as an assistant coach. Crocker, Kilgore and her staff are committed to developing a plan to work with Hayes to ensure a successful transition.
When Hayes officially joins US Soccer, he will have four appearances on the US bench before the Olympics, two in June and two in July.
“This is a unique situation, but the team is in good hands with Twila,” Crocker said. “Your guidance of him will be crucial during this period as we focus on success at the Olympic Games. “Emma has been supportive of Twila, she will be a key part of Emma’s staff as she arrives and moves forward, and we are excited about what is to come with our USWNT program.”
During the hiring process, Crocker compiled a large list of diverse candidates before narrowing them down. Candidates underwent an intense and exhaustive interview process that included psychometric and abstract reasoning tests, in-depth discussions on strategy, training philosophy and the current group of players, as well as evaluation of reactions to pressure, culture development and interactions with players and staff. .
“Once the list of candidates was narrowed down, we had a group of excellent coaches and leaders to consider, but we felt strongly that Emma was the best person and coach to move the US Women’s National Team forward,” Crocker said. “Her passion for the game, her acumen as a coach, her ability to drive players and staff, her dedication to continue evolving as a coach and her qualities as a person are incredibly impressive.” . “She greatly appreciates the legacy of this program and embraces the great challenges ahead.”
“I deeply appreciate Matt and our athletic department’s meticulous approach throughout the selection process. Emma is a highly respected and widely admired figure in our sport,” said US Soccer CEO and General Secretary JT Batson. “Her understanding of the global game, coupled with her proven track record as a winner, makes her an exceptional choice. Emma’s passion fuels her purpose. She is the ideal person to grow our game and know that her impact will be felt throughout the Federation “
Hayes comes to US Soccer after leading Chelsea FC Women for the past 11 seasons. Hayes was appointed Blues manager in August 2012 and has won six Women’s Super League titles, one WSL Spring Series title, five Women’s FA Cups and two FA Women’s League Cups. Additionally, Chelsea reached the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2021. Hayes was named FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year in 2021 and is a finalist for the award in 2023.
Hayes has led the club to five WSL and Cup doubles, winning the league and FA Cup four times and the league and League Cup once. Chelsea won the treble in 2020-2021, taking home the WSL, FA Cup and League Cup trophies.
Hayes’ first Women’s FA Cup title with Chelsea came during the 2014-2015 season, and the club followed it up with the Women’s Super League title to complete a historic and memorable double. She was the only female coach in the league at the time. Hayes led Chelsea to a second domestic double of FA Cup and WSL titles in the 2017-2018 season and reached the Champions League semi-final for the second time.
In 2019-2020, the Blues won the WSL title and the League Cup and then successfully defended both trophies the following season and reached their first Champions League final. Those successes resulted in Hayes being named WSL Manager of the Season in consecutive campaigns, and she was also honored with the FIFA Best Women’s Coach Award in 2021. The 2021-2022 WSL season triumphs made Hayes is the first coach to lead a team to three consecutive WSL titles. Last season, 2022-2023, he scored another double as Chelsea won the League and the FA Cup.
Hayes, who grew up in London and went to university in Liverpool, came to the US in 2001. He coached at youth levels (working with players as young as 8 and under) at numerous clubs in the Long Island area, She coached in the New York Olympic Development Program and was a member of the Region I staff. Her first head coaching job was with the Long Island Lady Riders in the USL W-League from 2001 to 2003. She was the longest-serving head coach. youth of the league and was named W-League Coach of the Year in 2002. From 2003 onwards, she has been a constant presenter at the annual convention of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, now United Soccer Coaches. .
After the Lady Riders, Hayes coached Division I college soccer at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, for four years, where she led the Gaels to two conference championships and earned another coach of the year honor before returning to the United Kingdom, where he became an assistant. She is the coach of Arsenal FC, the pioneering club of women’s professional football in the United Kingdom, and director of the Arsenal Ladies academy.
During their time in north London, the Gunners achieved unprecedented success, winning 11 major trophies over a three-season period, including three Women’s Premier League titles (the precursor to the WSL), three Women’s FA Cups and the UEFA Women’s Cup crown. (the precursor to the UEFA Women’s Champions League). Her role on Arsenal’s coaching staff was combined with her position as Academy Director, where she oversaw the development of the club’s young players, many of whom are currently playing in the Women’s Super League.
Hayes returned to the United States in 2008 and coached the Chicago Red Stars during the inception of women’s professional soccer, the second version of a professional league in the United States. Before her first season in the WPS, with the second overall pick in the league’s inaugural draft, she took a young attacking player from the University of Portland named Megan Rapinoe. She also worked as a training consultant for Washington Freedom and as head coach of the New York Flash, which won the WPS title in 2011 with a team she helped build. She returned to England in 2011 and was eventually appointed head cOach at Chelsea, where he has coached numerous national team players from more than 25 different countries.
“I understand how important this team is to the people and culture of the United States, not just the soccer community,” Hayes said. “I completely understand the place this team occupies in American society. I have lived it. I remember being a young coach coming up through the US system and watching all those young girls aspire to play on the US Women’s National Team. For me, the honor of building on that legacy is part of my motivation, without a doubt.”
Hayes was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2022 in the New Year’s Honors list for his services to football in the United Kingdom. Hayes was appointed an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s 90th birthday honors list in June 2016 and was awarded the following December. She was inducted into the Women’s Super League Hall of Fame in 2021.
Hayes is the second English-born coach to manage the United States women’s national team, following Jill Ellis, who spent her entire coaching career in the United States. Hayes is also the fourth full-time head coach in USWNT history. She has a UEFA Pro license.
In college, Hayes studied European Studies, Spanish, and Sociology. She is conversational in Spanish. She recently completed her master’s work in Business Administration and has a master’s degree in Intelligence and International Affairs. Hayes has a five-year-old son named Harry.
