Bringing a vision to life

Managing a club full-time was always the job that I wanted.

Before I became West Ham manager, I had worked in football for nearly 25 years in a variety of roles – some paid, plenty unpaid. A lot of people in the women’s game have been in the same boat.

Doing this job – meaning I don’t need to do other football-related roles on the side because the salary isn’t enough to live on – is a relatively recent thing. It is only in the last four years that I have been able to devote all my attention to being a full-time club manager. That was at Tottenham first, and now at West Ham.

When I was playing, we trained from 8pm to 10pm because that was the only time we could get on a pitch. While studying business economics at the University of Leicester, I began coaching and started working for Leicester City’s community scheme. At that time, in the early 2000s, the visibility of women’s football was almost non-existent. That was something we worked on changing at Leicester.

When I graduated, I worked as Leicester’s women’s and girls development officer, for their Football in the Community scheme. My role was to provide opportunities for girls to play, because schools weren’t delivering football for young girls at the time. I organised lunchtime and after-school clubs and delivered PE lessons in primary and secondary schools. Some of them were mixed sessions, to engage the whole class.

At the same time, I coached Leicester City’s Under-14 and Under-16 centre-of-excellence teams. I was also working as a coach educator, lead coach at the Midlands elite performance camps, and assistant coach for England Under-15s. Incorporating all of these roles ensured I earned enough money to live on, as the finances were so low, while also gaining experience and improving my skillset as a coach and leader. Technically, I had a nine-to-five job – but I don’t think I saw my house until after 10.30pm every day.

"we weren’t accepted into the WSL at first, which was devastating"

It was during that time that I co-founded the Leicester City women’s team to provide a pathway for players from grassroots through to senior football. During that time, we also set up an academy programme for Under-19s, working with a local college. There, the girls could train with us during the day, three times a week, and get an education too.

When I started Leicester’s senior team, we were told we had to start at the bottom of the league pyramid, even though we’d had lots of players progress from our programme and into the England team. I played for the first season, but I suffered an ACL injury not long before we set the team up. I received medical advice not to operate, but doing so created lots of problems for me. It effectively ended my career prematurely.

A big challenge was convincing people to drop down the divisions to play for us, which was great experience for me. I also booked the referees, organised training, matchdays, the travel and even bought a van to transport the equipment. I am grateful to the volunteers at that time – mostly parents – who helped to make the whole operation work. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Fortunately, it was worth it. We won four successive promotions to get into the Premier League and were able to apply for the Women’s Super League (WSL) when that came around. We weren’t accepted into the WSL at first, though. After the amount of work that went into getting to that point, that was devastating.

Back then at Leicester, there were always hurdles to get over in girls and women’s football. Limited resources, limited finance, limited visibility – but I loved that everyone involved rallied together and did as much as they could to influence change. You did it to the best of your ability, and you can talk about what high performance was 20 years ago. But there is no comparison with what it looks like now.

When I was doing my coaching qualifications, I was the only female on the courses. It has definitely improved since I went through that process. Key individuals, such as Hope Powell and Brent Hills, have been responsible for driving changing attitudes and opportunities. But the resource, investment, facilities, coverage and number of dedicated staff all falls way short of where the men’s game is at, while still having expectation of the same outcomes. This is where the game still needs to mature. We still need to significantly raise the profile and investment of the women’s game.

"I will never forget the pride I felt when I heard the national anthem"

We certainly need to increase the diversity and number of female coaches and managers. People often ask why there aren’t more female managers. Opportunity is obviously one major factor, but it’s also worth considering that there are many more secure jobs in football that provide a regular, permanent salary.

It is a huge risk to come into a world where the media speak about managers in the women’s game the same as in the men’s game, without considering that a Premier League manager getting sacked doesn’t mean they can’t afford their bills. That is a serious reality for coaches in women’s football, where current salaries do not afford that luxury. It is key to consider what players and coaches deal with in the women’s game. Barriers and challenges may not be visible to the outside world; context before judgement is important.

When I left Leicester in 2010, I had been approached to be assistant coach at Arsenal. That took me from an environment in which we were very much developing players into a team where winning was the absolute expectation. At Arsenal, you got on board with that mentality, or got off the bus. It certainly helped develop my coaching, because there were no excuses for me or those around me.

It was an unbelievable time. We won the treble in the inaugural WSL season and reached the Champions League semi finals. The following year, we retained the WSL title and the Conti Cup.

Throughout, I was also working with the England age-group teams. For most of my coaching career I have been involved with England, so my first game with the seniors in 2020 was massive. I will never forget the pride I felt when I heard the national anthem. International football is something I want my players to experience and to help them achieve it is incomparable. There is nothing like it.

I left my role as Lionesses assistant head coach to become manager of Tottenham Hotspur in November 2020. The objective I was given was to get results, but also to raise the standards within the team to meet the needs of the WSL. To do that, I wanted to get some structure and organisation in place. I also wanted to increase physicality, to meet the ever-changing demands of the game, and evolve both the squad and the staff group.

"I had specifically recruited players for their character and resilience"

At the same time, changes were being made to incorporate the women’s team into the wider framework of the club. That was important for the profile of the team: to improve resources and investment, and to ultimately support performance outcomes.

When I arrived, we were in a relegation battle. But we managed to lift ourselves out of that, to finish eighth. The following year – my first full season – involved making nine changes to the squad. Where we finished in relation to our budget was significantly higher than where we should have been. We ended that 2021/22 season in fifth – Tottenham’s highest-ever finish – which was credit to the players and staff. They had moved things forward and were able to see the benefits of all we had implemented.

I had specifically recruited players for their character and resilience so they knew how to get through games and stick together. We worked out how to get the best out of what we had and I was proud of how, against the odds, we pulled that together into results.

Every time we did a game plan, it was rare that anyone went outside it. I can’t stress how important sticking to a game plan is, working hard for each other from start to finish. You are either in it together and it has a chance of working, or you’ve got one person who works outside of that. Gaps create problems; against good teams, the knock-on effects can be significant.

I think it’s important to work within a structure and involve players. It helps provide clarity in their roles, so that it is clear what they can do to see success. It is also key to ask players to find their own solutions within our playing principles, because there are always ideas that can add value to the team. I might offer them a solution and say: “This is one option we could utilise, but what else can you see that might help?” I want to develop decision-makers, because on a matchday it’s the players who have to make decisions for themselves.

Driving standards and expectations while empowering players helps them to feel more ownership, responsibility and accountability within the team; that we are all in it together. It is a circle of ‘plan, do and review’, with individuals as well as the team.

"We don’t want to make decisions where we put the ball intentionally in 50-50 situations"

At West Ham, it is also a rebuild and journey to raise awareness of what high performance looks like among the players and staff. This involves a lot of work on getting the right people in the building – which takes time – alongside the culture, values and, most importantly, the behaviours that raise performance outcomes.

We have to create a setting where we are accountable and resilient with that, and not take it personally. It is about moving forward together, so I work hard to bring the club and team’s vision to life. I want to ensure that everyone is invested and feels supported so they can perform at their best. Equally, they have to be prepared to challenge and be challenged. This can be tough at times, but it is elite sport.

The attitude has to be that we can get better all the time. And that means all of us: me, every member of staff, every player. We are all here to be the best we can possibly be. If we are going to do that, we have to approach things in a way where we have open conversations.

In my experience, people respect honesty. Even if it is initially uncomfortable, it is healthy. It develops a trust that is crucial when working with staff and players to help manage everyone’s expectations. Fairness then comes into that, to ensure everyone is treated the same. Understanding circumstances and other factors is also appreciated, allowing for empathy and understanding when needed.

With playing principles, I want us to be in a position to dominate possession and progress the ball with purpose. It’s not always possible, but that is what we’re striving towards. I want to build confidence and belief in all players I work with; that they are capable of improving the style of the game through their quality on the ball.

We don’t want to make decisions where we put the ball intentionally in 50-50s. A common misconception is that it means the team doesn’t play long, which isn’t true. Our approach is to recognise and exploit spaces while retaining possession. Depending on how the other team sets up, there will be different lengths of passes required to exploit those gaps. But playing forwards, positively, is always an aim – and with numbers in support.

"The WSL is arguably the best league in the world. it has been a bit of a baptism of fire"

We are always trying to disrupt and open gaps to create something. I do a lot of work on the support systems within how we play, so there are options for the person on the ball to make the most positive, threatening decisions, knowing they have the freedom to try it.

Last year we got from back to front really well, with a lot of quality and control of possession. We just haven’t been clinical enough in front of goal. That is the next phase of our progress. Scoring 20 goals in a season is not enough, so we have to improve.

At the start, we said that it’s a journey at this club. We came into what was a very young squad and, statistically, they’ve all massively improved across the board. They have worked incredibly hard, and their attitude to learning and developing has been incredible. Fundamentally, though, experience is valuable. Age and maturity both help when you are thrown in the deep end. Knowing how to see games out, being composed at key moments, managing games smartly – that is what is needed to get results in the WSL.

We finished the 2023/24 season in 11th, which is not where we want to be. Now we are focusing on the next set of building blocks to raise performances, having put in more solid foundations over the summer. The WSL is arguably the best league in the world, and it has been a bit of a baptism of fire in some cases. It was always going to come with some mistakes, but we believe in what we are doing.

"We will continue to build the team for our fans with a clear West Ham way"

Moving forwards, the team knows where we are at in terms of philosophy and playing style. We want to show progress, and we have to move with the times. We have evolved the staffing group and facilities to try to achieve certain performance gains behind the scenes. It is important that we increase the squad depth along the way.

In the longer term, we want to be competing in the top half of the table. Investment will be key, alongside continuous improvement of the squad and our performance. We all know how long it has taken the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City to build. I think everybody in the football club is realistic that it’s a tough league. It does take time to put everything in place to be able to get to that. Consistency and stability are important.

We will continue to build the team for our fans with a clear ‘West Ham way’ and a never-say-die attitude. They can rely on us giving our all, while playing a style of football that they enjoy supporting.

Last season, attendances at our home games went up significantly and we recorded our highest-ever WSL attendance at Chigwell Construction Stadium. We are building the foundations within our local community, and allowing young girls and boys to see what we’re capable of and what they could strive to achieve. In doing so, we hope they will play in the famous claret and blue one day.

Author: Craig Bloomfield

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