Baroness Sue Campbell discusses her battles for top leadership in women's football, emphasizing the need for vision. She explores building a world-class team and the impact of transitioning to a professional league on coaching and team unity.
Vision and leadership are crucial in building successful teams in women's football.
Having a clear strategy and goals, along with exceptional leadership, are key in developing women's football.
Deep dives
Creating a Clear Vision and Strategy for Women's Football
When the speaker first started at the FA, they noticed a lack of strategy and structure in the women's game. They emphasized the importance of having a clear vision and goals for increasing participation, growing the fan base, and developing the women's professional game. They also highlighted the need for a detailed and slow process to build a world-class team. To achieve this, they aimed to manage a multi-disciplinary team consisting of individuals who understand elite women players, rather than those who have primarily worked in the men's game.
The Impact of Full-Time Professional League and Exceptional Leadership
The launch of the full-time professional league, WSL, in 2018 has been instrumental in improving the women's game. It allowed players to train and compete at a higher intensity regularly, thereby enhancing their performance. The speaker recognized the crucial role of the clubs in the league's success and acknowledged that the England national team serves as a marketing tool for the clubs. The exceptional leadership of Serena, the coach, also played a significant part in the team's achievements. She not only demonstrated exceptional technical and tactical skills, but also excelled in keeping all the players, including those who never played, engaged, committed, and united towards the common goal.
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Strategic Vision and World-Class Team Building for Women's Football
In this insight from Accomplishment in Sport, Baroness Sue Campbell talks about her battles to get the right people at the top of the FA to lead and manage women’s football. Sue talks about putting together an elite team and how important it is to find a leader with vision, who really understands the job.