SHELLEY Kerr, officially unveiled as the new Scotland women’s manager at Hampden yesterday, has refused to rule out taking up a similar high-profile position in the men’s game at some point in the future.
Kerr, the former Scotland women’s centre half, made headlines across the world back in 2014 when she became the first female to take charge of a men’s team in British senior football.
She was appointed head coach of Lowland League side Stirling University – a role which she will continue in until the end of the current season.
The 47-year-old holds a UEFA Pro-Licence and had been widely tipped to move into a more prominent position in the men’s game at some stage.
But asked if she would consider a return to that sphere in the future, Kerr said: “Absolutely. You can never say that about anything.
"But, to be honest, it's not something I have thought about. I'm very much about the here and now. I'm not a planner. I've had a lifelong plan, but it was only to better my knowledge and expertise - that's all I've tried to do. I don't look too far ahead. I don't think you can in football.
“It's very difficult to look beyond the here and now because sometimes you lose a bit of focus and for me you need to be as professional as you can be and be as meticulous as you can be with the job at hand.”
Kerr, who declined to comment when asked if clubs in the men’s game had approached her about coaching vacancies, dismissed suggestions that her sex had counted against her getting other jobs in the past.
“I don’t think that’s a gender thing,” she said. “There’s a lot of good coaches out there you are competing with. There’s more then Shelley Kerr with a pro-licence and a certain skillset. The market for good coaches is significant. It’s not a gender thing it’s competition.
“It’s very difficult to think about where others see themselves. The opportunity came along for me and I thought I could do the job.
“It has to be your passion and that’s down to the individual. Coach education in Scotland has a good reputation and more and more females are qualifying. It’s still not enough, but it’s a work in progress. We are going in the right direction.”
Kerr, who will spearhead Scotland’s bid to reach the World Cup in France in 2019 when Anna Signeul stands down following the Euro 2017 finals in the Netherlands in the summer, believes her stint at Stirling University will have been beneficial to women looking to move into coaching.
“I think I did break down some barriers,” she said. “I certainly can only speak positively about my experience. I have been well received by the players, other coaches of other teams and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Stirling University. But obviously when it’s your national team it's a no brainer.”
Malky Mackay, the SFA Performance Director who interviewed Kerr, predicted that Kerr could take up a managerial position in the men’s game at some stage down the line.
“I sat with Shelley and we just talked about football for an hour after her interview,” he said. “I was impressed in the interview so I knew what I was going to get. She is steeped in football. There’s intelligence, there’s a plan and there’s a structure, and she’s thoughtful, so absolutely she could do it.
“It’s not something that is there at the moment, but I honestly don’t see why not. She’s been a footballer and she’s been a manager in both the men’s and the women’s game, so I see no reason why Shelley couldn’t be the one to do that. In a long time of course, she’s still got a job to do here first.”
Kerr admitted that it would be a tall order taking over from Signeul, the Swede who has been Scotland women’s coach for the last 12 years, after the national team compete in their first major finals in the Netherlands.
She is, though, hopeful that the experience the players gained both in reaching and competing at Euro 2017 in the summer will help in their bid to make it through to their first World Cup finals.
“We’ve been chapping on the door for a while now getting to the play-offs and not getting through,” he said. "But it’s the same as winning - it becomes a habit. For the team and the players involved it’s a fantastic achievement and opportunity for them to get experience of playing in a finals. It’s different to a home and away scenario. There will be lots of positives.
“Anna has done a great job with the clubs and has changed the perception of the women’s game over a 12 year period. I will try and move the team forward again and there’s no doubt when you get success it’s harder to sustain it. That’s the challenge.”
Kerr is confident Signeul’s side will acquit themselves well in the Netherlands this summer. "I know Anna and the group of players she has,” she said. “I think they will be setting a target of getting out of the group. No player will be going into that environment just to make up the numbers. Not at this level. No chance.”
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