Hearts and Spartans managers Eva Olid and Debbi McCulloch offer views on lack of female managers in SWPL1

The number of female managers in SWPL1 has dropped 50% this season, with Hearts and Spartans managers Eva Olid and Debbi McCulloch now the only two remaining. Both insist more needs to be done to turn things round.

After the departure of Eileen Gleeson from Glasgow City in late December, the only permanent female managers left in the SWPL1 are in Edinburgh. That is despite the fact that the women’s top division now has 12 teams. McCulloch, who first became Spartans manager in 2010 and is now an A license coach, has long campaigned for more support for women who are looking to enter into management and believes more can be done across the board.

“I have always been an advocate of women managers”, McCulloch told the Edinburgh Evening News. “The coaching system and the SFA could be more supportive towards female coaches. Coaching in the men’s game compared to the women’s is very different.

“The A and B license is based on the pretence of the men’s game. That could be looked at and there could be additional support there. We need to make sure we are producing and promoting female ex-players or coaches in the game to ensure we have that impact on players because I think it works well in the game.”

Eve Olid and Debbi McCulloch are the only two permanent female managers in the SWPL1

Olid, a UEFA Pro Licence holder, took over as Hearts manager in August 2021 and went into the role with a wealth of experience from Spain and the USA. The Spaniard has had a successful time at the Jam Tarts so far, lifting them from the foot of the league to fourth in the SWPL1 in one and a half seasons. Olid believes that clubs need to give aspiring female coaches similar opportunities to show that they are just as good as the men.

“I am a woman and people cannot imagine how difficult it is to get an opportunity as a woman in football,” stated the former Houston Dynamo head coach. “I always say that the clubs have to choose the best person for the position. It doesn’t matter if it is a man or a woman. There are a lot of women who are ready for the opportunity and some clubs are not giving them to women because they have a lot of thoughts that are wrong. You have to choose the person best for the position, but they need to listen and give opportunities to women. Don’t be afraid of giving them opportunities.

“There are women who are more prepared than men and there are some clubs who will only give the opportunity to a man. Clubs need to be more open. A lot of people have some thoughts about women which are not ready for a first division or a competitive team.

“There are plenty of women who are ready and some who aren’t. Same as the men. Some are, some aren’t. It’s the same. It is not the gender that determines if a person is ready or not for a position. Clubs need to listen to women, see if they are ready or not and, if so, give them the opportunity.”