Chelsea manager Emma Hayes criticised women’s football’s “middle class” nature in England and claimed girls are not afforded the same access to football as boys.
The comments arrive shortly after the Football Association, in collaboration with the Premier League, announced landmark plans to fundamentally transform the existing Women’s and Girls’ Pathway in a bid to “unearth the very best talent in England”.
The plans, revealed earlier this month, are the result of a three-year national review of domestic women’s football carried out by the UK government.
But Hayes has raised concerns that women’s football continues to perpetuate systems that disproportionately impact girls residing outside suburban areas.
"We should be thinking differently," Hayes said.
"Women's football is quite middle class in my opinion, in terms of the locations, and the pedigree of players that are coming are often coming from suburban, urban belts around the training grounds," added the Blues boss.
"They're not the Alex Scotts, the Rachel Yankeys - (they're) not coming to our facilities in the same way.
"If you want a diverse group involved with our game at an elite level, then perhaps we should be travelling into the cities more."
English women’s football has been forced to wrangle with its striking lack of diversity and opportunity in comparison to the men’s game, particularly after the success after Euro 2022.
In the Women’s Super League, an estimated proportion of 10-15% of players are of black, Asian or minority ethnicity compared with roughly 33% in the Premier League.
And the international stage has come to reflect the domestic game. From 2007 to 2019, the number of black, Asian and minority ethnic players in the England team for a major tournament decreased from six to two mixed-heritage players. In England's 2022 Euros-winning squad, there were just three black players: Jess Carter, Demi Stokes and Nikita Parris.
And Hayes has called out the disproportionate access girls have in England in contrast to boys as a major contributing factor.
"My nine-year-old niece goes to school and says to me, 'why do I have the girls' sessions only once a week and the boys have three?'," added Hayes.
"I don't know, why is that? I bet you that's probably the case across the board.
"I wonder in the community how often those pitches are available for girls in much the same way they are for the boys.
"I don't know what to tell my niece when she cries, when she says, 'why don't I get to play it more like (the boys)?'."
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