Hayes was born inCamden, London, and attendedParliament Hill School.[3] She played forArsenal's academy as amidfielder from 1988 to 1996,[4] but an ankle injury while on a ski trip when she was 17 ultimately ended her playing career. With football ruled out, Hayes studied European studies, Spanish, and sociology atLiverpool Hope University College and later read for a master's degree in intelligence and international affairs.[5]
While at Liverpool Hope, Hayes coached the women's football team from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, she moved back to London, helping develop youth players atCroydon andCrystal Palace.[4] In 2002, she became the manager of theLong Island Lady Riders onLong Island, New York, becoming the youngest coach in the league. In theUSL W-League, she led the team to finish first in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference,[6] and was named as the league's coach of the season.[7] The team won their conference semi-final match 3–1 against theNew York Magic, before losing 4–2 in the conference championship against theBoston Renegades.[8] She was appointed as the head coach for theIona Gaels women's team, ofIona College inNew Rochelle, New York, on 22 January 2003,[9] where she remained until the end of the 2005 season.
She returned to England to become the assistant first team coach forArsenal Ladies over 3 seasons between 2005 and 2008, during which time the team won 11 major trophies including three Women's Premier League titles, three FA Women's Cups and the UEFA Women's Cup. At the same time, she was also the club's Academy director, overseeing the development of young players.[2]
Hayes joined theChicago Red Stars ofWomen's Professional Soccer as a manager on 15 May 2008.[10] After she was sacked in 2010,[11] she took up a technical director role atWestern New York Flash and advised them on transfers, helping to create a team that won the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer championship. After another stint as a consultant forWashington Freedom, Hayes returned to London and worked for the family business, Covent Garden FX, a currency exchange.[5]
After narrowly missing out on the 2014 FA WSL 1 title on the final day, Hayes oversaw a huge squad overhaul that bore witness to the addition of several arrivals. Swedish shot-stopperHedvig Lindahl and promising England centre-halfMillie Bright were among the new recruits.[15][16]Marija Banusic,Gemma Davison andNiamh Fahey also joined Chelsea, signing fromKristianstads,Liverpool Ladies andArsenal Ladies respectively.[17][18][19] Later on in the season, Hayes won the race for Reading and England forwardFran Kirby for a British record fee.[20] With the agonising memories of final-day defeat still fresh in memory, Hayes guided her side to a historic league and cup double, edging the FA Cup Final thanks to a lone strike fromJi So-yun late on in the first half.[21] Later on in the season, they avenged themselves by winning The FA WSL 1 title, after hammeringSunderland at home 4–0 to secure the trophy.[22]
In theWomen's Champions League, Hayes's side reached the last 16 after defeatingGlasgow City. After their 2–1 home defeat byVfL Wolfsburg, Hayes criticisedThe Football Association for poor fixture scheduling, insisting that the competition is "geared to French, German and Swedish teams, and until we change that or listen to clubs like Chelsea we are always going to get knocked out in the early rounds."[23]
"[Hayes] built everything at Chelsea – from having the kit washed to having food, to having our own building, to having our own training and pitches. Now, it’s an absolute professional setup but everything's been a fight over the years to do that."
—Katie Chapman, who played under Hayes at three different clubs, credits her with building Chelsea from the ground-up.[5]
Hayes' side finished second in The FA WSL 1, five points adrift of ChampionsManchester City.[22] The Blues also reached the FA Cup Final for the second consecutive year, losing 1–0 to a strong Arsenal side.[24] Chelsea however won theFA WSL Spring Series, an interim edition of the FA WSL. Hayes led the side to first place, finishing on the same points as Manchester City but beating them on goal difference.[25]
I enjoy representing a club I absolutely adore. To be in a position where we can continue to win on behalf of Chelsea is something I think I was born for.
Hayes sought to rebuild the team at the conclusion of the 2017–18 season around new recruitsSam Kerr,Pernille Harder,Melanie Leupolz,Magda Eriksson, andAnn Katrin Berger, having moved on some key first-team players. The 2019–20 and 2020–21 season saw her team win back-to-back WSL titles[28] in what were record breaking years,[29] following a trophy-less 2018–19 campaign.[28] Given Chelsea's dominance in the 2020–21 season in both Europe and England,[30] some observers hailed them as one of the best teams ever.[28][31] Hayes became the first woman manager to reach the Champions League final in 12 years.[32] On 16 May, her Chelsea team, also playing their first-ever Champions League final, lost 4–0 toBarcelona Femeni.[33]
Hayes won the 2020–21 FA WSLManager of the Season award.[34][35] Two months later, she signed a new long-term contract with Chelsea.[36] In the same year, Hayes was inducted into the FA WSL Hall of Fame.[34] Based on the 2020–21 season, on 17 January 2022, she was adjudgedThe Best FIFA Football Coach, beating off competition fromLluís Cortés andSarina Wiegman.[37][38][39]
On 4 November 2023, Chelsea officially announced Hayes would depart after the ongoing season to “pursue a new opportunity outside of the WSL and club football.”[40] Reports in the United States indicated that Hayes was in advanced talks to become the new manager of theUnited States women's national team.[41][42] On 14 November 2023, Hayes was named Head Coach of theUnited States women's national team starting at the conclusion of theWSL season.[7] On 21 January 2024, Hayes became the first woman to win the Football Writers Association Tribute Award in its 42 year history.[citation needed]
Chelsea lost to Arsenal 1–0 after extra time at theFA Women's League Cup final. After the match, Hayes was seen to have shoved Arsenal head coachJonas Eidevall as they shook hands. Hayes claimed it was due to Eidevall's "unacceptable male aggression" on the touchline after an altercation withErin Cuthbert during the match.[43] Chelsea went on to crash out of theWomen's FA Cup andUEFA Women's Champions League in the semi-final stages but ultimately won a fifth WSL title in a row to send Hayes out on a high.[44][45]
In November 2023, Hayes was named head coach of theUnited States women's national team (USWNT) starting at the conclusion of the WSL season.[7] She began her tenure in May 2024 with only two months to prepare forthe Olympics.[46] On 1 June, in the team's debut under Hayes and the first of fourfriendlies before the Olympics, the United States won 4–0 againstSouth Korea.[47] Despite the short time she had with the team, she took them through an undefeated Olympics run, winning the gold medal game 1–0 againstBrazil on 10 August. The team went 6–0 and scored its opponents 12–2 at the tournament.[48] On 28 October, she was awarded the inauguralWomen's Johan Cruyff Trophy as the best coach in the women's game.[49]
Before the next major tournament cycle, Hayes introduced the "WNT Way", a plan to develop the women's game in the United States through a unique "female lens".[50] Hayes saw her first loss with the USWNT on 26 February 2025, dropping 2–1 toJapan at the2025 SheBelieves Cup.[51] She has broadened the USWNT player pool during her tenure, giving 17 players their USWNT debuts in her first 20 games, the most by a new manager since the early days of the program.[52]
In 2018, Hayes was pregnant with twins, butlost one of them 28 weeks in.[5] She gave birth to the surviving twin on 17 May 2018.[53][54]
Hayes creditsVic Akers, formerArsenal W.F.C. manager under whom she was part of the backroom staff when they won an unprecedentedquadruple in the 2006–07 season, for being a "massive" influence on her career.[55] Speaking of her experience coaching in the United States she said though she was born in England, she was "definitely made in America."[56] In 2023, Hayes co-wrote a book,Kill The Unicorn, which discusses high-performance management and argues that the perception of a single great leader is a myth.[57]
Chelsea forwardFran Kirby, who suffered from severe depression after the loss of her mother early in her life and from a career-threatening illness in her late 20s, is particularly close to Hayes. Speaking of Hayes's positive influence in her life she said, "Emma's been incredible. She's been my rock; the person who made sure I was protected from everything."[58] Former Chelsea and England player,Karen Carney, also praised Hayes for being there when she felt the most vulnerable and isolated.[59]
^Biglin, Mike (5 August 2002)."Gades to the four".Milford Daily News. Framingham, Massachusetts.Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved15 February 2024.
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