Soccer-Southgate wants more women hired for England training set-up


Bywire - Claim your free account nowBywire - Claim your free account now

- England manager Gareth Southgate said the Football Association needs to recruit more women to work in the men's national team training set-up after he was put on the spot by his daughter.

The England men's team currently have only two women among the 40 personnel who help prepare the squad for internationals.

"We haven't got that right," Southgate said at the Royal Television Society's Cambridge convention. "Within the FA we are 38% I think female. My daughter said, 'Oh, that's good is it, Dad?'.

"I had to say, 'Good point.'"

Southgate added that changing attitudes towards women's football needed to be reflected across all areas of the sport.

"It's far more acceptable for girls to play now, there's more teams and clubs. Dads are now excited by that. There's a real enthusiasm for it," he added.

"That's different to where we are with diversity of staff in the team. We've got a staff of 40, so (two women is) nowhere near where we should be."

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Bywire will email you from time to time with news digests, stories & opportunities to get involved. Privacy

Bywire - Claim your free account nowBywire - Claim your free account now