MX23RW : Tuesday, January 21 04:58:33| >> :600:1275741:1275741:

Gareth Southgate accepts there are not enough women in his England set-up

Gareth Southgate accepts there are not enough women in his England set-up
© Reuters
The England boss admits the progress that the women's game has made is not reflected in his staff.

England manager Gareth Southgate accepts there are not enough women in the men's national team set-up.

Southgate feels that while the women's game has progressed in many aspects in the country, that is not reflected around his staff.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society's Cambridge Convention, Southgate said: "Women's football, firstly, where I know changes (have) come is that I meet dads who proudly come up and say, 'My daughter plays football'.

"Five years ago, that didn't happen. I don't know if that's that the girls weren't playing or the dads weren't proud that they were playing, but that's been the shift.

"I think (it is) far more acceptable, if that's the right word, for girls to play now and (there are) more teams, more clubs. Dads (are) now excited by that. I coach my daughter's team and there's a real enthusiasm for it.

"I think that's different to where we are currently in terms of diversity of staff within the game. We haven't got that right with my team.

"We've got some women that work with the team but we haven't got enough."

Southgate named two women who are currently working with the team.

"We've got a staff of 40, so that's nowhere near where we should be," he said.

Southgate pointed out the picture, in terms of gender equality, is better across the whole of the Football Association but, even there, there is room for improvement.

Some of the motivation to push for change has come from his own daughter.

He said: "Within the FA we are actually very diverse, gender wise, with 38 per cent female, I think.

"But as my daughter said to me, 'Oh, that's good is it, Dad?'. I had to say, 'Er, good point'.

"For me that's a great reminder. What world do I want for my daughter? What opportunities do I want for my daughter?

"That very quickly changes your outlook on the way that you view women's sport and the way you view opportunities for women within our sport."

ID:464067:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2706:
Written by
P A

Click here for more stories about Gareth Southgate

Click here for more stories about England

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Netherlands Women head coach Sarina Wiegman pictured in July 2019
Read Next:
England to host new annual women's four-nation tournament
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
Read more about Gareth Southgate Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21155150203050
2Arsenal22128243212244
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest22135433221144
4Chelsea22117444271740
5Manchester CityMan City22115644291538
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle22115638261238
7Bournemouth22107536261037
8Aston Villa2210663334-136
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2281043530534
10Fulham228953430433
11Brentford2284104039128
12Crystal Palace226972528-327
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2275102732-526
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2275102743-1626
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs22731245351024
16Everton214891828-1020
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2244143251-1916
18Ipswich TownIpswich2237122043-2316
19Leicester CityLeicester2235142348-2514
20Southampton2213181550-356


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!