EMMA HAYES
Chelsea Women, 2012-Present, United States Women’s National Team, starting May 2024
I knew the titles would come.
It was always going to be like this, because it was my true calling.
I’ve been training since I was 20 years old. At that age you think you can take over the world, and part of me was tempted to try.
I had a degree in European Studies and was passionate about politics. But I quickly realized that there was no point in pursuing a career in that field, because my love for football constantly held me back.
Emma Hayes has had a long and important career at Chelsea Women. James Eckersley
But when I was 17 I broke my ankle. I was out of cartilage, so as much as I wanted to keep playing, it hurt too much.
Now I can’t even play occasionally, but I do what I have to do. Being a player was never going to be my calling.
I remember that at school I was always the captain of the team. It was natural for me to be a leader. I have always had an easy time communicating with people. When you have that, it gives you a good starting point. Of course, experience as a player helps you understand the kinesiology of the game, what it feels like to do certain things.
“My experiences meant that, when Chelsea reached the FA Cup final, I was prepared”
But ultimately, being able to influence people to follow instructions on a football field depends on your ability to connect with them. I’ve always had a natural ability for that.
It’s also about life skills. My father was self-employed and I was employed in several of his businesses, from selling theater tickets to running a bakery in London, in Covent Garden.
Many of those jobs involved learning how to sell something, and that’s a big part of a trainer’s job. You have to get the players to buy into what you are trying to do.
Emma Hayes, as she points out in the interview with The Coaches’ Voice, took all the necessary steps to reach the top. Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
I earned my degrees during my studies. If I had become a mere “trainer with qualifications”, I would never have been prepared to do this job. Coaching titles do not teach you how to deal with people and face the real challenges of everyday life.
It’s something I say now to young coaches: “You can’t buy that.” I was hell-bent on getting to the top as soon as possible, but I remember a very good coach friend of mine telling me, “Don’t skip any steps.”
My experiences meant that when Chelsea reached the final of the Women’s FA Cup in 2015, I was prepared.
“I have always had an easy time communicating with people. When you have that, it is a good starting point”
He had been training since he was 20 years old. She had already won titles in the United States, she had been fired and had been on the verge of winning the Cup here in England. She was calm. She was ready.
It was a special match. The opportunity to win my first title as Chelsea manager and the team’s first major championship. It was also the first women’s final to be played at Wembley. A match that gave us the opportunity to enter history.
There were nerves, of course there were. But the most important thing was that the players didn’t see that in me. I would have to manage those emotions when I got home. That’s what leading is all about.
Emma Hayes’ achievements during her time at Chelsea include 3 FA Cups, 6 Premier Leagues and a Community Shield. Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
In the weeks leading up to the final, we worked a lot in tactical classes on how the players would approach that day. Let’s fly? Will we sink? Are we going to disappear? I gave them a scenario. You are in a completely dark alley. You don’t know what’s at the end, but you have to walk there. How are you going to get through it? Facing situations like this helped the players believe it, to think that they were prepared. Whatever happened during the game, they would feel ready.
That day, I wanted to give the players something special. Something that acknowledged how important it was, like you would on your wedding day or if you had a child. I love my garden. It is my sanctuary. So, as time went by, I grew some pink roses for them. Afterwards, I also chose a poem for them.
But I didn’t want to give him that too soon. Or too late, when we were already in the locker room. She wanted to deliver it when they had time to reflect and contemplate. So when they got on the bus to go to the game, I told them to put on their headphones as usual and take their time reading the poem. Let them assimilate everything.
“I wanted to get to the top as soon as possible, but a very good coach friend of mine told me: “Don’t skip any steps.”
It seemed like the right thing to do that day. To train at the highest level you have to be more than just drawing coordinates on the grass. You have to be able to influence their minds and their hearts.
Before the game, I had them line up on the Wembley grass, as they would when the National Anthem is sung. And I told them something I had learned from Sir Alex Ferguson. “The mistake that many teams make right now is that they start greeting everyone in the stands. We are not going to do that.”
“Do you see that sign Wembley Up there? I want everyone to focus on the letter W, no matter what. Don’t look at your parents. Don’t look at your partner. And don’t look at me.’ When we went out to do it for real, I stood up with my team and looked across at our rivals, Notts County.
I saw several of their players waving and looking around. I thought of Sir Alex, and knew exactly where the focus of my group was.
Emma Hayes, as part of her match plan, also carried out important psychological work with her players in the 2015 FA CUP final. David Rogers/Getty Images
At half-time, we were leading 1-0. I put them all in a circle, hugging each other. “Look at me,” I told them.
“There is one thing you have to concentrate on while your legs get tired. Imagine that, at the end of the match, it is your captain who is walking up the stairs to lift the title. And you are standing at the bottom. That’s all “.
“There were nerves, of course there were. But the most important thing was that the players didn’t see that in me”
I wanted them to kill the game. Slow down throw-ins. Slow down game restarts. That it would be difficult for the rival to gain momentum. If we finish 1-0, so be it. It was about winning.
When the final whistle blew, my first feeling was simple. My players had done exactly what I had asked of them.
The second feeling was relief.
Hayes managed to create an important group to start winning titles with Chelsea. Ian Walton/Getty Images
Third? Katie Chapman, my captain, throwing herself on top of me. I fell to the ground with such a crash that I woke up the next morning with a pain in my neck.
“I told you we’d get it,” he shouted.
I had already won trophies with the teams I had managed in the United States, but I had the feeling that here I had to earn another level of respect. I felt like I had to win one.
But I always knew it would come. Because it was my true calling.
Written by: The Coaches’ Voice
2023-12-13 11:48:15
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