27 women leading the way in men's football
Brentford's Lydia Bedford and Southampton's Natasha Patel
Written by Training Ground Guru — January 8, 2024
NOW seemed like a good time to showcase the women who are playing leading roles in the men's game, in roles spanning executive, coaching, Academy, performance, medical and data science.
The 27 people profiled (there could have been more and apologies to anyone we've missed) are leaders in their fields and have made significant impact at their respective clubs and federations. Many have had to overcome the odds to get their breaks in the game, as you'll read below.
Several have featured in TGG podcasts, events and articles, which are linked out of their bios.
FOOTBALL EXECUTIVES
Director of Football Administration and Governance, Tottenham
Rebecca Caplehorn
Nationality: British
Highly valued and trusted by Chairman Daniel Levy. Has a background in accountancy and worked for at QPR for five years before joining Tottenham in March 2015. Moved from Head of Football Operations to this new role in September 2020. Job is to "lead, drive and embed football governance processes, contractual matters and best practice across the club."
ACADEMY LEADERSHIP
Academy Manager, Forest Green Rovers
Hannah Dingley
Nationality: British
The first female Academy Manager and first-team manager in English men's football. Coached in Africa and worked as a teacher before joining Burton Albion as Head of Coaching. Joined Forest Green in July 2019. You can read more about Dingley's story HERE.
Academy Manager: Operations, Wolves
Laura Nicholls
Nationality: British
Wolves made the innovation of splitting their Academy Manager role in two in 2021, with Jon Hunter-Barrett focusing on coaching and Nicholls on operations. Then Technical Director Scott Sellars told TGG: "We knew about Laura’s strengths from her time with the Wolves Foundation and she also has a lot of football knowledge."
Assistant Academy Manager, Southampton
Natasha Patel
Nationality: British
Highly experienced. Was Head of Performance Analysis for Southampton from 2011 to 2019, before taking on the same role with New York Red Bulls. Returned to the Saints at the start of 2023 as Assistant Academy Manager.
Academy Head of Operations and Administration, Tottenham
Danetta Powell
Nationality: British
Spent more than eight years at Birmingham City, rising from Academy Administration Manager to Academy Manager (Operations) in November 2022. Appointed Head of Academy Operations and Administration at Tottenham in November 2023.
Emerging Talent Programme Manager, Manchester United
Jennifer Mildenhall
Nationality: British
Manages Manchester United's links with local schools and grassroots, setting up events that can even lead to youngsters joining the Academy. Worked for United's Foundation before joining the Academy in 2019.
COACHING
Assistant Head of Coaching, QPR
Manisha Tailor MBE
Nationality: British
Was Deputy Head at a Primary School in Uxbridge before leaving to care for her brother, who had a severe mental illness. Started coaching part-time at QPR, rising to become Foundation Phase Lead and then, in June 2021, became Assistant Head of Coaching. Now Head of Coaching at the club following departure of her mentor Chris Ramsey. Is the first person of South Asian heritage to hold such a position. You can read more about Tailor's story HERE.
Under-18s Head Coach, Brentford
Lydia Bedford
Nationality: British
Became the first female lead coach in the Professional Development Phase (18s to 21s) in the English Academy system when she joined Brentford in June 2023. Previously worked for Arsenal Women, as Assistant Coach, and with England Women’s youth sides.
Foundation Phase Lead, Preston North End
Melissa Brown
Nationality: British
Has worked for North End for almost a decade, first as Head of Health and Wellbeing, then an Academy coach and, since 2021, as Head of their Foundation Phase.
SCOUTING & RECRUITMENT
Head of Emerging Talent, Norwich City
Mariela Nisotaki
Nationality: Greek
Got her big break while still studying at Cardiff Metropolitan University. In a field of 160 applicants, landed one of two performance analysis jobs at Swansea City. Went on to work for Atromitos in Greece and then, in January 2017, for Norwich City. Rose from first-team technical scout to Head of Emerging Talent with the Canaries and has played a key role in signing players such as Emiliano Buendia. Was our guest on Episode #34 of the TGG Podcast.
Head of Recruitment, ex Watford
Helena Costa
Nationality: Portuguese
Became the first female manager of a men's team in elite European football when she took charge of Clermont Foot in May 2014. Resigned a month later, saying she had been sidelined by men. Went on to become Head Coach of the Iran and Qatar women's teams before moving into scouting, with Celtic, Eintracht Frankfurt and then Watford, where she became the first Head of Recruitment in English men's football. Left that role at the turn of this year.
Director of Player Insights, Manchester City
Catherine Hesford
Nationality: British
Is a leader in the emerging area of talent science, looking at the individual development pathways of Academy and senior players. This involves setting performance and process goals and maximising the way the multi-disciplinary team works together to develop players. Was previously Player Insights National Lead at the Football Association.
Recruitment Operations Manager, Newcastle United
Claire Burrows
Nationality: British
Joined the Magpies in May 2023 after three-and-a-half years at Leicester City. Her role is to “provide a seamless flow of information between Academy and Recruitment staff” and “co-ordinate and assist local and UK recruitment teams.” The North East side have undergone a major Academy revamp under Sporting Director Dan Ashworth.
Talent ID Scout Co-ordinator, Chelsea
Fiona Armfield
Nationality: British
Started with Chelsea as a scout, quickly progressing to Area Co-ordinator and then Talent ID Scout Co-ordinator. This involves scouting and recruiting players with the ultimate aim of signing them for Chelsea’s Academy. In addition, Armfield is responsible for organising talent ID events in the UK and Ireland.
PERFORMANCE
Head of Performance, Coventry City
Claire-Marie Roberts
Nationality: British
Recently appointed to the new position of Performance Director by Coventry City, which involves “ensuring the highest standards in all aspects of performance and preparation are delivered sustainably across the whole club.” Arrived from the Premier League, where she was Head of Elite Development and had worked for almost nine years. A former international swimmer who moved into football in the early 2000s, playing for Swindon Town Ladies and Aston Villa Ladies. Also a Chartered Psychologist and Accredited Sport & Exercise Scientist.
Chief Culture Officer, Right to Dream
Simone Lewis
Nationality: British
The former professional volleyball player was Head of Learning and Development at the Premier League for seven years, launching the influential coach development programmes ECAS, EHOC and EAM. Former Premier League Director of Football Development Ged Roddy told TGG: “Simone drove the development of coach education initiatives that truly transformed the way we work. She left quite a legacy." Since May 2022 she has worked with Right to Dream and is now their Chief Culture Officer.
Head of Nutrition, Liverpool
Mona Nemmer
Nationality: German
Has been a key member of staff at Liverpool throughout Jurgen Klopp's reign at the club. Was with Germany's Under-21s before working for Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. Joined Liverpool in July 2016. A year later, Klopp named her as one of six staff he couldn't be without. “Mona is heart and soul, she is everything," he said. "She is so smart. Not one player is in doubt about her – that’s outstanding."
Head of Culture/ People, ex England and Right to Dream
Pippa Grange
Nationality: British
Was Head of People Development at the Football Association for two years, working with Gareth Southgate and the England men’s senior team as they reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Joined Right to Dream in January 2020 as Chief Culture Officer. Was our guest on Episode #16 of the TGG Podcast and her character features prominently in Dear England, the acclaimed play about how Southgate transformed England.
Human Development and Performance Culture Lead, Sheffield United
Sally Needham
Nationality: British
The Human Development and Performance Culture Lead at Sheffield United's Academy. Before joining the Blades full-time in April 2022, Needham worked for the Football Association for more than 15 years as a coach developer and skills programme leader. Was our guest on Episode #44 of the TGG Podcast.
Psychology and Wellbeing Manager, Brighton
Cara Lea Moseley
Nationality: British
Played international netball for Wales from 2006 to 2018, including at two World Championships and two Commonwealth Games. Brighton have led the way in psychology and wellbeing and Moseley joined them in this new role in April 2020.
MEDICAL
First-team doctor, Arsenal
Flo Newton
Nationality: British
Has worked for the Gunners since 2015. Started with the Academy before being promoted to first-team doctor in May 2020. A regular presence on the Arsenal bench on matchdays.
First-team doctor, Wolves
Kai Win
Nationality: British/ Burmese
Was Chief Medical Officer at Birmingham City for seven years before joining nearby Wolves as first-team doctor at the start of the 2021/22 season.
DATA SCIENCE & ANALYSIS
Head of Analytics, ex Arsenal
Sarah Rudd
Nationality: American
A true analytics pioneer. Was Vice President of Analytics and Software Development for StatDNA and Arsenal for almost a decade, making her one of the most senior women in the Premier League. Has now co-founded her own analytics consultancy called src ftbl along with husband Ravi Ramineni. Was our guest on Episode #55 of the TGG Podcast.
Data Scientist, Arsenal
Susana Ferreras
Nationality: Spanish
Hired by Rudd at Arsenal. Worked as a data scientist for communications companies Telefonica and Vodafone, specialising in "social network analysis, churn reduction, customer acquisition, influence spreading and predictive modelling", before joining the Gunners in October 2018. Former Operations Manager with the Spanish national basketball team.
Lead Data Scientist, Tottenham
Chloe Bailey
Nationality: British
Joined Spurs in October 2019 as Post Match Performance Analyst and became, first, Data Analyst, then Lead Data Scientist in June 2023. Plays a key role in the Football Insights department led by Fred Leth.
Game Insights & Learning Manager, Football Association
Laura Seth
Nationality: British
A leader in the field of analysis during 18 years with the Football Association. Was a Performance Analyst with the men's and women's pathway teams before becoming Performance Analysis Education Lead and then, in September 2020, Game Insights and Learning Manager.
Football Insights Analyst, Manchester City
Maram AlBaharna
Nationality: British
Job involves producing high-quality, reliable and insightful visual analytics; scoping, developing and maintaining engaging tools which reduce time to insight; and educating and upskilling the club’s football staff about analytics. After completing a BSc in Economics and Management at the University of London, AlBaharna worked as an analyst and data consultant for FC Analytics and then for The Athletic as a data journalist, before joining City in January 2023.
