Sexism is alive & kicking, just look at Hayes

THE best coach I have ever worked with is Danny Kerry.

Danny coached the women’s Team GB Hockey to Olympic gold in Rio 2016 and was absolutely brilliant.

Just to point out the obvious – he was a man coaching a group of women to reach the pinnacle of sporting achievement.

Sorry to shock you but that can also work the other way around with a female coach and a men’s team!

I sometimes feel exhausted reading about the racism and sexism that still exists within our sport and society. And I had that feeling watching some of the reaction to Emma Hayes being linked to the vacant AFC Wimbledon manager’s position.

Hayes (right) spoke brilliantly in her press conference about it all and there were two bits which really stood out for me.

Firstly she said: “It is not secondary to anything, just as we don’t question female teachers differently to that of male teachers or female physicians... we talk about women in football like we are not entitled to the same opportunity and the same access.”

And then she added: “My final piece on it, all I want is to normalise the conversation, so if the universe is talking about it tonight, hallelujah.

“Let’s make sure we have it more often, let’s talk about it without feeling unbelievably threatened.”

She’s right.

Why do some people talk about women’s football in a way that says they can’t have access to the men’s game as a manager or coach? Managing or coaching a group of athletes is gender irrelevant. If it wasn’t then why do we allow men to coach women?

It literally makes no sense. Brilliant coaches, like Danny Kerry, are exceptional man-managers, tacticians and organisers – I can’t see how gender impacts on any of these at all.

Why do we talk about women’s football like it is something alien that can’t get near the men’s game? If someone has an answer that doesn’t include sexism please send me a tweet about it.

The truth is that this discussion highlights why sexism is alive and kicking in our sport and society. There is an unconscious bias in too many people that sees them accept that a man can manage women, but a woman can’t manage men.

If the AFC Wimbledon job was offered to Hayes and she turned it down, then I respect her decision but there is a part of me that wishes she hadn’t.

I wish she had taken the job and done it brilliantly.

That is how we start to break through this archaic sexism.

I don’t want to refer to Hayes as a flag-bearer because she shouldn’t need to be called that but, for now, we need the likes of her to smash through glass ceilings.

I stand in hope that one day no one refers to women’s football or women’s sport as if it is something that should be privileged to touch the men’s equivalent, but we have a hell of a long way to go.