England’s Emma Hayes talks proudly about her fondness for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. She knows how the organization has helped foster and develop her career as well as the women’s game at all levels.

“For sure, the USA is a power in the women’s game and you have to look seriously at how hard the NSCAA has worked to nurture the women’s game and its coaching, including helping young women become coaches, as a key part of that success,” said Hayes, who returned to England In June 2012 to take over as the manager of the Chelsea Ladies soccer team. 

That’s why Hayes is happy to return to the United States as a featured clinician at the 2014 NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia.

“I am still putting together my program for the Convention, but the plan is to conduct a field session and a classroom session that is focused on training the elite soccer player on and off the field,” Hayes said. “The US coaches have been so great about helping me along the way that I am eager to share with them some of the programs that Chelsea has put in place to move along the women’s game in this country. We are working closely with other European and Asian (especially Japan) programs that will be of interest to coaches that are training elite-level players. My plan is to demonstrate the Chelsea winning way on and off the field.”

Coming back to Philadelphia has special meaning to Hayes.

“Back in 2002 I attended my first convention, and it was held in Philadelphia,” Hayes said. “I remember well how blown away I was with the size and scale of the event, something I’d never witnessed before. I shuffled from field to class session with excitement and thirst for knowledge, ideas and opportunities. It delivered so much and inspired me beyond belief.  I can only hope that I may also be able to inspire some young coaches, too.”

Hayes' career in coaching spans more than a decade and includes several successful stints in the United States, as well as her homeland.  Hayes joined the W-League’s Long Island Lady Riders in 2001 for a two-year spell, which saw Hayes, the youngest female head coach in W-League history, scoop the National Coach of the Year award in 2002. Hayes then was named the head coach at Iona College, where she scooped another individual honor, being named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year in 2004, before leading her side to the 2004-05 MAAC Conference Championships, before returning to English football in 2006.

Upon her return to English football, Hayes served as the assistant first team coach with the Arsenal Ladies, as the Gunners achieved unprecedented success, winning 11 major trophies during a three-season spell in North London, including three Women's Premier League titles, three FA Women's Cups and the UEFA Women's Cup crown. Hayes' role in the Arsenal backroom staff was combined with her position as Academy Director, overseeing the development of young players at the club, many of who currently feature in the Women's Super League.

After a trophy-laden spell in North London, Hayes headed stateside once again in 2008, holding a series of managerial positions at clubs in the Women's Professional League, beginning with the Chicago Red Stars as well as roles with the Washington Freedom and New York Flash, before returning to the UK and the Chelsea job.

Hayes said she brings so much of what she has learned from the NSCAA to her role at Chelsea including the notion of sharing ideas with other coaches in the Chelsea system.

“For starters, Sue Ryan (head coach of Stony Brook University) has had an amazing impact on my life,” Hayes said. “We first met when I was coaching in Long Island at Stony Brook Soccer club, not long after I’d moved to the country. It was there during our first exchange when she gatecrashed my under-14 boys training session that I experienced her infectious smile and friendly face. Sue is also the head of Region 1 and invited me to join the open meeting at the NSCAA Convention to get involved with the program, which I did. From there she has gone on to be a mentor, role model and friend.

“To be quite candid, I couldn’t believe how much is shared at the Convention after living in England, where opportunities were few and far between for women in the game at the time, I found myself being embraced by a community that I had given nothing to yet. It lit me up and that moment in time shaped me forever.”

Hayes said she has attended every NSCAA Convention since 2002, except one.

“The more I go to the NSCAA Convention, the more I want to give back to the countless number of people who have been instrumental in developing the women’s game with their unconditional work to the game we all love,” Hayes said.

Hayes isn’t afraid to name many of those people.

“Whether it be so many of the young coaches who just offer that youthful enthusiasm or supporting Lisa Cole with the NSCAA education department, or working with Amanda Vandervort, who does so much for the game,” Hayes said. “ This is what makes this organization so amazing. The more you get, the more you give. I see it in so many before me. And, if I can have half the impact that the likes of Ryan, Louise Waxler, Janet Rayfield, Marcia McDermott, April Heinrichs, to name just a few, then I will feel fulfilled.”

This will be the fourth time Hayes has presented at the Convention.  She admitted that at first she was a "bit nervous" about presenting, but now she encourages every coach to "give it a go."

“I know what some of coaches are probably saying, ‘Oh, God, no way, I couldn’t do that, I’m not good enough, I don’t have enough experience,’” Hayes said.  “I can’t stress enough how challenging and rewarding the whole experience is and I do hope we continue to get many more female coaches presenting at Convention. It’s not easy going out there in front of an audience and being vulnerable to a challenging and diverse crowd. You know us coaches, we all have opinions so it’s not easy standing up there knowing that everyone is judging your every move.”

However, Hayes said the NSCAA is about sharing experiences. She now has a rare opportunity to share her Chelsea experiences and she can’t wait for January.

“I realize that all of us can very much be part of what happens next for women’s soccer,” Hayes said. “We can all play a role in the growth, the solutions, the innovations and we all can hope to inspire others around us. So, as I think about this next Convention in Philadelphia, I will be thinking about what I can do for the NSCAA and the people it represents.”

Check back at NSCAA.com for more details of Hayes’ presentation in Philadelphia. Registration and housing is now open for the 2014 NSCAA Convention and more details about the event will be revealed throughout the fall.

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