THE shortage of highly qualified Scottish-born women’s coaches can be gauged from the fact that only Shelley Kerr possesses the Uefa Pro Licence. The former Scotland captain is also the first and only head coach of a British men’s senior team.
It is self-evident that paid opportunities for female coaches have, until fairly recently, been few and far between. That being the case, it’s understandable that not too many players have viewed coaching as a realistic employment option.
Pauline Hamill believes that is changing. The Scotland women’s Under-17 coach embarked on her Uefa Pro Licence in November, and will, if all goes to plan, join her friend Kerr by possessing the qualification late in 2018. The timescale alone is an indicator of how arduous the course can be. It recently also became mandatory to learn a second language.
At least Hamill has been spared the £8000 cost. “I successfully applied for funding from Uefa, who are trying to help support the development of female coaches,” she says.
That, of course, is good news. And while openings for elite female coaches remain limited within Scotland, the rapid growth of professionalism elsewhere is opening new doors.
“There are a lot more opportunities now,” Hamill says. “The more qualified a coach becomes, the more interesting they are to other people.”
Nor – as Kerr is proving – is there any reason why women coaches should be restricted to women’s football. It was good to hear Tony Fitzpatrick, the chief executive of St Mirren, stating robustly that his mind was open to a woman manager when his club needed to fill the post last year.
Hamill deserves more recognition than she has got for her Scotland career. She became the first woman to play 100 times for her country in 2007, and until Gemma Fay and Jo Love overtook her, was the most capped Scottish player with 141.
The 45-year-old, who has been Under-17 coach since 2010, says: “I loved every minute of being a national team player. It was everything I dreamed of as a kid. I really wanted to give back and I’ve always been passionate about supporting the players in this country.”
Scotland coach Anna Signeul and her assistant Ann-Helen Grahm are also Pro Licence holders. Six of their squad are attempting to obtain B Licences.
In Hamill’s time, Julie Fleeting was the pre-eminent player. That mantle has passed to Kim Little, and Hamill is convinced the national side have unearthed yet another gem in Erin Cuthbert.
“For me she’s the best youth player I’ve worked with over the eight years,” she says.
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