England’s head coach Sarina Wiegman gets much of the credit for the team’s success in the European Football Championship. She is at the head of a number of female coaches who have dominated the championship. – In the semi-finals, three out of four teams had female coaches. They are skilled and they succeed. Nothing is more fun than that, Melissa Wiik-Kovacs. She is a former coach for Sandefjord Football Women, and participates in the project “Top female coaches”. INSPIRED: It is inspiring to see the success of the female coaches in the EC, thinks football coach and former national team player Melissa Wiik-Kovacs. Photo: news/Julia Marie Naglestad Only seven out of a hundred Wiik-Kovacs want more female coaches in top Norwegian football. – There are many good women who have the potential to become coaches. But then clubs must dare to bet on them. Because women may not be as eager to apply for these positions, says Wiik-Kovacs. – It is easier for them if they are hand-picked. There are 100 teams in the top three levels of women’s football in Norway. Only seven of these have a female head coach, according to figures from the Norwegian Football Association (NFF). Graphics: Henrik Bøe / news A job to do Camilla Akerholt Eid is the head coach for Nanset Kvinner in the 2nd division, which is currently the highest level of female head coaches in Norway. The women are in a clear minority, also at the general level. – There are no negative aspects to being a female head coach in either women’s or men’s football. The coaching profession is largely about leadership and being good at building relationships. It has nothing to do with gender, says Akerholt Eid, who is also involved in the football association’s project with top female coaches. ONE OF THE FEW: Camilla Akerholt Eid is head coach for Nanset Women. She is one of the few female head coaches in the top three divisions in women’s football. Photo: Mads Thygesen / news – There should be a little more status for women to go the coaching route after their playing career. There is a job to be done there. We have a lot of resources in former top players that you should be able to use in the coaching profession, she believes. At the same time, she is clear that the Norwegian Football Association and male coaches cannot take all the blame for the fact that women are in the minority on the coaching side. – Girls must also dare to show themselves, says Eid. Project to be evaluated Johnny Gallefoss, head of the department for top coaching training in the NFF, wants more female coaches at top level. – To me, it is a bit unbelievable that there is not a single female head coach in the Toppserien. It’s a real shame and shouldn’t be like that. – What specific measures does the NFF take to promote female head coaches? – I know the measures at the top level best. The training and the job NFF do against the top clubs in Norway. In addition to the project “Female top trainers”. Now it must be evaluated and then we can find answers to what produces results and effects. More men to choose from LSK Women has had more female coaches. Their former head coach Hege Riise is one of the favorites when a new national team coach for Norway is to be hired this week. The general manager of Lillestrøm, Stein Ellingsen, says that hiring female head coaches comes naturally to them, even though they currently have a male head coach in Knut Slatleim. – We have had good experience with female head coaches, so it is high on the wish list when we hire a new head coach sometime in the future, he says. – If you are going to employ a female head coach, are there too few to choose from? – No, it probably isn’t. But there are significantly more men to choose from, and I don’t want to say more about that matter, says Ellingsen. NO WOMEN: There are currently no female head coaches in the Toppserien. General manager of LSK Women, Stein Ellingsen, says it is not out of the question to employ a female coach in the future. Photo: Megapixel
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No female football coaches in top Norwegian clubs – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
