<h3>Transcript</h3>
Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I&rsquo;m Bruce Gulland.

Voice 2

And I&rsquo;m Robin Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3

&ldquo;I know it is a big step. I know because I have had a job before in a man&#39;s world. So I know it is an important day and it can open other doors, or not. I understand your surprise. I understand the amount of attention from the news and the importance. But, we are in 2014. It should be a normal thing."

Voice 1

Helena Costa from Portugal spoke at a recent press conference. Reporters gathered to hear her talk about her new job. She has just been chosen as the manager of a men&rsquo;s football team in France. As the manager, she will lead the training of the team. She will also plan the play and strategy during games. Why is this so surprising? What does this say about women in the sport of football? Today&rsquo;s Spotlight is on Helena Costa and women leaders in football.

Voice 2

Helena Costa was born in 1978 in Portugal. She played sports through her whole life. Her first big job in football was as coach of Portugal&rsquo;s Benfica team. This team was made of young men under the age of 18. Costa&rsquo;s team did well. They won the Lisbon Regional Championship. Costa later coached the national teams of Qatar and Iran. But these were women&rsquo;s football teams. As the manager of Clermont Foot 63, she is the first female coach of a professional <em>men&#39;s</em> football club in France.

Voice 1

Many women&rsquo;s teams have male coaches. But it is not common for a woman to manage a man&rsquo;s team. There are five main football leagues in Europe. These are in Spain, Germany, England, Italy and France. Costa is the first female manager in any of these leagues&rsquo; top two levels. There are still very few women in leadership roles in professional football. Claude Michy is the president of Clermont Foot sixty-three. He told the New York Times how the media was very interested in the story:

Voice 4

&ldquo;It is surprising because in the world there are lots of women in important positions. Women are heads of government or team managers in Formula One or chief surgeons. But football is something global and still traditional. So when a small French team employs a female coach, it creates a news earthquake.&rdquo;

Voice 2

People are interested because this is a new situation. People are also interested because they think it will be too difficult for a woman to coach a man&rsquo;s team. They see a problem because the coach often talks to the players while they are changing their clothes. Some people also wonder if women have enough experience <em>playing</em> sports to be good coaches. And they question if male players will respect a female manager. Emmanuel Imorou plays for Clermont. He told the French newspaper L&rsquo;Equipe how his team reacted to the news:

Voice 5

&ldquo;We all thought it was incredible. After the team discussed it among ourselves. Some laughed; others a bit less. Honestly, it was cool. There was no big problem. We made some jokes. We wondered how she was going to manage a group of men, if she was going to be able to have authority.&rdquo;

Voice 1

But Costa has a lot of experience. She has not just been a coach. She has also worked as a scout for the Scottish team Celtic. She looked for new, good players. She has a Masters degree in sports science. And she has a UEFA A license. This proves that she is able to coach the top level of football teams. Hope Powell is another female football coach. She has had a UEFA Pro license for ten years. She was the coach for the England national women&rsquo;s team for many years. But she has never managed a men&rsquo;s team. Powell tells the Mirror that this does not mean that women cannot coach. She says:

Voice 6

&ldquo;Take the name away or the sex away and it is the same job. It is about whether the decision makers could value the experience a female would bring into that club environment. Can women do it? Of course we can. It would present a different set of difficulties. Such as, the news media. It would be such a story. People would watch that person very closely. If she was not successful then everybody would say it proved the point that women cannot manage men&rsquo;s teams. But how many male managers fail in men&rsquo;s football?&rdquo;

Voice 2

There is a lot of pressure on Costa as a female coach. She may have different difficulties than men do. But Costa is ready for the challenge. The BBC reports that Costa said:

Voice 3

&ldquo;I am not afraid. If I did not think I was able to do this, I would not be here. If I did not think the players would accept me, and if I did not believe in my work, I would not be here."

Voice 1

Costa is now a symbol of hope for young women who want to work in football. She is not the only woman leader in football though. Another role model for women in football is Karen Espelund. She was the first woman on the UEFA executive committee. Espelund talked to the Guardian newspaper about the future of women in football:

Voice 7

"We are making progress. New programs such as the UEFA Leadership Programme for Women will play an important part. But it is clear that we still have more work to do to ensure that women are able to be the best that they can be within our game."

Voice 2

Many people think that we will see more and more women in high level roles in football. Helena Costa told the New York Times that other women are also working very hard. She hopes that she can provide encouragement for them:

Voice 3

&ldquo;This is about more than Helena Costa as a football coach. I think it is very good for all the women in sports, especially in football of course. It could have been someone else. And I hope this is only the first step. I opened a door today and more women will walk through behind me. That is what I hope.&rdquo;

Voice 1

The writer of this program was Rena Dam. The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at <a href="http://www.radioenglish.net">http://www.radioenglish.net</a>. This program is called, &lsquo;Women in Football&rsquo;.

Voice 2

You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at <a href="mailto:radio@radioenglish.net">radio@radioenglish.net</a>. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.


