"It is like becoming a grandparent, international football. You don't get to see them [the players] all of the time and you send them back to their parents - or their clubs - at the end of that period. I've really enjoyed getting to know a new set of players and working with a nation that have been really dear to me and a massive part of my development."
"I didn't think the transition would be what it is. It's been thoroughly enjoyable and I'm enjoying life as an international coach. I always felt as a club coach you've just got to go every three days and it's just the next game. To have a little bit longer to think about a course to winning and how to put in place the best practices, I feel like having that time has freed me up to develop another part of myself."
Emma Hayes likens international football to becoming a grandparent because managers spend brief, intermittent periods with players who then return to their clubs. Hayes embraced the US managerial role after winning seven league titles with Chelsea and values the ability to 'zoom out' and apply strategic thinking to long-term solutions. Early results include a Paris 2024 Olympic gold medal within three months and a run to the SheBelieves Cup final. Hayes finds the international rhythm freeing compared with the relentless three-day cycle of club football and credits the experience with developing another part of her coaching identity.
Read at www.bbc.com
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