Emma Hayes is estimated to earn at least $1.6 million annually from her new job, making her the highest paid coach in women’s soccer.
The American Football Association published the long-awaited news late on Monday Finnish time: Emma Hayes is the new head coach of the women’s national football team.
Chelsea, the current employer of the Englishman Hayes, had previously announced that the master coach who has been piloting the Londoners since 2012 will leave the club after this season.
– It is a great honor to coach the greatest team in the world. I’ve dreamed of coaching in the USA for a long time, so this opportunity is a dream come true, Hayes beamed in the announcement.
Hayes’ salary is said to be in line with the head coach of the country’s men’s national soccer team by Gregg Berhalter with compensation. Last year, Berhalter netted 1.6 million dollars from his position, or about 1.47 million euros. It has been speculated that the reward has increased from last season.
At the same time Hayes becomes the most awarded coach on the women’s soccer side.
Hayes, 47, has won six Premier League titles, five FA Cups and led his side to the Champions League final with Chelsea.
Hayes also has experience in coaching in the United States, as he coached the Chicago Red Stars for a couple of seasons before joining Chelsea.
Pesti starts with the Olympics
Hayes’ new job starts immediately after the Chelsea season. There isn’t much time before the first real one, because the USA is playing in the Paris Olympics, which start at the end of July.
Hayes is expected to bring the USA back to winning ways. The summer World Cup ended in disappointment, when the United States fell in the quarterfinals. The performance was the worst in history for the national team that always made it to the medal games.
The head coach Vlatko Andonovski left after the Games. Andonovski could not get the team flying during his head coaching season that started in 2019. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the USA took bronze. Andonovski’s predecessor Jill Ellis in turn, led the United States to two consecutive world championships.