SWISS COACH HÄUPTLE PREDICTS BRIGHT FUTURE FOR WOMEN’S FOOTBALL IN CHINA.

2. April 2021

Coaching, Media, Soccer

China’s contribution to women’s football over the past years has been “extremely stimulating”, says Swiss coach Nora Hauptle, the only woman in charge of a German Women’s Bundesliga team.

Nora Häuptle coaching her team SC Sand against VfL Wolfsburg.

The former Swiss international predicts a bright future for the women’s game in China and in other Asian countries and regions such as Japan and South Korea.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, the SC Sand head coach said the intense efforts to develop players and coaches will create further success.

“China can rely on an enormous range of talents and profound training scheme for coaches. I expect them to play a big role in major tournaments such as World Cups and Olympic Games in the upcoming years,” the former defender said.

Efforts made in Asia, England, and the United States are encouraging girls and women around the world to take up football, Hauptle added, noting that China can rely on a wide range of academies for talents.

Tournaments like the 2022 European Championship and the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand might trigger new motivation and options for women’s football, the former defender said.

Hauptle said the quality of women’s football has increased significantly, but added that further efforts are vital to increase the number of female coaches, noting that clubs and former internationals should add more women to their coaching staff.

“We need to create professional perspectives and opportunities to see football coaching as a serious job for women to make a living,” Hauptle said.

Associations and clubs in Europe need to intensify efforts to encourage more top-class players to stay in football. “Many women decide to leave football after their playing careers are over, as normal jobs seem to provide more perspectives,” she said.

Hauptle is one of two women in Switzerland to have obtained a UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching license in the European game.

“I went through high school teacher training at the same time, which was extremely challenging, but it provided the opportunity to survive when things in football don’t work out.”

The Swiss has demanded that coaching is adjusted to women’s requirements as some standards are too challenging. Coaching requires not only a high technical level but leadership qualities and empathic skills.

Hauptle said combining youth academies of male and female athletes could be an inspiring option. “In Switzerland, we had the best female U-16 footballers playing in regular leagues alongside their male colleagues. Creating equal levels in male and female football is a future task we shouldn’t stop working on.”

Football provides several opportunities to choose one’s place “not all might be ready to take over as a head coach, but there are other jobs such as assistant coach for a start.” Hauptle sees women’s advantages in team leadership and soft management skills, but says budgets are often still significantly below those in the men’s game.

“We all know men’s football is producing much higher turnarounds, and maybe things can be at the same level, but to set up the basics in women’s football is vital to keep things going,” she said.

In Germany, over 1 million women play football. FIFA plans to attract 60 million women worldwide to play the sport by 2026.

Hauptle has dedicated the main parts of her life to football, as she is living in a hotel to be able to spend all of her time working on improvements for her club. “Many things work step by step. We employed a physiotherapist, a video analyst, and set up our gym.”