Chelsea Ladies Manager Emma Hayes Says British Football Needs 'Rooney Rule'

Chelsea Ladies Manager Emma Hayes said that British football "needs a system similar to the 'Rooney Rule' to help female coaches get jobs in the men's game," according to the BBC. Under the "Rooney Rule," NFL franchises "must interview at least one black or ethnic minority candidate for coach vacancies." Only a handful of female coaches "work in men's football in Britain." Hayes said, "We need clubs to take risks to hire the right candidates. At the end of the day, there aren't a lot of female coaches that have the top-level license and the coaching experience but that will change." Hayes is the sole female boss in Women's Super League 1. She added, "In America they have the Rooney Rule and as we move forward and have more coaches that are more qualified and more experienced, we need the opportunity to get in the boardroom" (BBC, 3/19).