Emma Hayes is on a mission to reinvigorate women’s professional soccer in the United States.
Hayes was hired as head coach of the U.S. women’s national team in June after a disappointing few years for the squad as it dealt with an aging lineup, coaching instability, and increased global competition.
Less than a year in, she has led the U.S. team to an Olympic gold medal and won the 2024 Ballon d’Or as women’s soccer coach of the year — putting the world on high alert that women’s soccer in the United States is back.
Nearly eight months after the U.S. defeated Brazil in the Summer Olympics gold-medal game in Paris, the teams will go head-to-head with the two upcoming friendlies in California on April 5 and April 8.
Ahead of the team’s upcoming friendlies, CNBC Sport spoke to Hayes about how the job is going, the biggest surprises that came with it, her leadership style and the steps she is taking to make U.S. women’s soccer a powerhouse again.
Olympic-sized ambitions
Less than three months on the new job, Hayes found herself leading Team USA at the Paris Olympics, following a 12-year stint as head coach of Chelsea women, where she had established herself as one of the top coaches in women’s soccer.
It may have been a daunting challenge for many, but Hayes said she took it one day at a time.
“We all know the pressures and the expectations that are there in and around the team, but I wanted to create an environment where the players felt relaxed and calm but extremely focused,” Hayes told CNBC.
The England native said she wanted to make sure players did not have to worry about outside pressures.
“I think that by creating that safe bubble, I allowed the players to immerse themselves fully and therefore express themselves in the best way they can on the pitch,” Hayes said.
The U.S. women’s team returned to the podium for its fifth Olympic gold medal after defeating Brazil. The squad had last won gold in 2012.
“The surprise for me was considering all of the pressure, how much joy I would find in it,” Hayes said of the win.
Soccer through the female lens
Following the Olympics, Hayes focused on rebuilding the program to sustain that success. She has turned her attention to areas like creating a stronger soccer pipeline for the future and designing training specifically for women athletes.
“Everything we have been exposed to in our sport has been through the male lens, so we aim to address that and put the sport of soccer in a situation, hopefully for so many players that can experience in the game in a much different way, and ideally through a female lens,” Hayes said.
Hayes said that mindset will apply to everything from recovery methods to strength and conditioning and even tactical information.
The 48-year old coach admitted the changes will take a lot of work and require coach education and even new programs.
“It’s a huge project but one that we’re very much excited to take part in,” she said.
Hayes also aims to use data, analytics and artificial intelligence in more productive ways.
For example, Hayes said that women traditionally have less power in their shots than men, but the data shows they actually score more goals from distance than in the men’s game.
She added that data from a smart ring like Oura, which tracks body temperature, could aid training and recovery.
“I feel like without those data insights, perhaps we won’t make the advances in our game that we would like to,” she said.
The next generation of soccer players
Hayes is also turning her attention to the next generation of women’s soccer players. She said she’s concerned about the number of players who have dropped out of the sport.
Studies have shown that increasing numbers of girls are dropping out of sports when they hit puberty for a variety of reasons, which include social expectations and lack of quality programs.
“I think that’s something that has to be addressed,” she said. “The dropout rates, in my honest opinion, can be avoided if we understand girls better.”
Hayes said more needs to be done to keep kids in sports because of long-term effects on their lives.
She pointed out that studies have shown that female athletes are more likely to be successful business leaders. A 2023 Deloitte survey found that 85% of women who played competitive sports say the skills they learned were important to success in their professional careers.
As she tries to overhaul the U.S. women’s program, Hayes is looking at the big picture. The career soccer coach said she hopes that she can have a lasting impact on the sport she loves.
“Winning on the field is one thing, and I absolutely enjoy doing that, but I’m all about leaving the sport in a better place and making sure that create a system and an environment where generations beyond those that maybe I represent, you know, could enjoy the sport at a high level,” Hayes added.