Women's EURO 2025 marks milestone for female coaches

A record seven female coaches are leading their teams in Switzerland this summer – up from six in 2022 and 2017, and three in 2013 and 2009.

Many of these coaches have risen through the ranks with the help of UEFA initiatives designed to break down barriers and support women at every stage of their coaching journey.

Belgium's Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir and Spain’s Montserrat Tomé are among those to benefit from such programmes, while others, such as Wiegman and Portugal's Francisco Neto, one of nine male coaches at the tournament, have taken up mentorship roles to nurture the next generation of elite female coaches.

Mutual learning

Tomé and Norway's Gemma Grainger have directly benefited from learning on the UEFA Coach Mentor Programme.

The programme pairs promising UEFA A and Pro licence coaches with more experienced counterparts who are operating at the very top of their game. In a process led by mentees, partnerships are tailored to each up-and-coming coach’s needs, helping them develop their own leadership style.

In addition, the connection to a network of talented and ambitious coaches fosters a feeling of confidence and self-belief.

Crucially, the programme benefits both mentees and mentors, for whom the journey of learning never stops. Grainger for instance, a graduate of the 2021-2023 UEFA Coach Mentor Programme, is now offering guidance to Uzbekistan's Lithuanian head coach, Kotryna Kulbytė.

Nina Patalon, head coach of Women’s EURO 2025 debutants Poland, is another mentor in the programme’s latest cohort.

"You get the chance to know and talk to fantastic coaches and mentors," said Patalon, who is offering advice and support to Kosovo Women's Under-19 head coach Albina Rrahmani. "It's the best university in football because everyone has a lot of experience and knowledge, which they are very happy to share."

Another mentor is Wiegman, who coached the last two Women's EURO winners – England in 2022 and Netherlands in 2017.

"The mentorship programme is really good. You bring people together – lots of female coaches, but also male coaches that are involved in the women’s game – which I think is good because you can share experiences and learn from each other," she said.

"I really enjoy it. You try to help the mentees, but you learn from the mentees too. By being together and talking about football, you always learn something from each other, which I really like, and you inspire each other too."

Developing female coaches

The UEFA Coach Mentor Programme is part of the UEFA Coach Development Programme for Women, which gives financial support both to the coaches earning qualifications and to the female coach educators teaching them.

Since 2016, more than 2,400 women have gained a UEFA-certified coaching licence through the programme, including Women’s EURO 2025 head coaches Gunnarsdóttir, Tomé and Patalon.