BONUS: Emma Hayes - The Full Interview

Mark Chapman (0:02)

This is a Global Player Original Podcast.

Gabby Logan (0:05)

Hello, Gabby here with a special bonus episode of The Sports Agents. On Thursday, we sat down with former Chelsea manager and current head coach of the US National Women's Football Team. Possibly one of the biggest jobs in the women's game. To discuss her new book, A Completely Different Game, My Leadership Playbook. It was such an interesting conversation. And Emma Hayes is always honest and open in every answer she gives. So we wanted you to have the chance to hear the interview in full. Welcome to The Sports Agents.

Mark Chapman (0:45)

The Sports Agents with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.

Gabby Logan (0:50)

Emma Hayes, welcome to The Sports Agents. Thank you. Have we got you all talked out, because you're here in the UK, promoting your book, obviously, and I'm sure talking about lots of other things. You are such an interesting and deep woman. Are you kind of feeling exhausted by this, or are you ready to be grilled by Mark and I?

Emma Hayes (1:09)

I'm so energized, honestly. I'm still on cloud nine.

Gabby Logan (1:15)

Yeah, we should say congratulations.

Emma Hayes (1:16)

Yeah, it's just I'm on cloud nine. I spoke to a couple of the players. They said, have you come down from it? Yeah, I said yes and no on some level. I'm going to enjoy this for the rest of the year. I've got until 2027 before I have to answer another question about winning. So I'm going to enjoy it.

Gabby Logan (1:33)

But that was the dream start. It's the biggest job in women's football. They are the team that expects to be at the top. They weren't in the last Olympics.

That was Canada who were the champions. So they came in to this expecting they had a bad World Cup and you were the person that had to galvanize them and bring them to that glory within six, seven months.

Emma Hayes (1:55)

You know what the thing is? Because I know that, it's almost impossible to satisfy that. So just get on with the job. So I have an approach where instead of feeling daunted or looking in a fearing way, I just acknowledge what the expectation is. And don't worry about it too much. I think probably my entire career, I've been working towards that moment. And not just from a coaching perspective, but learning how to deal with all the threats that go around it, and learning how to block out the noise, just get on with the job. And I had an absolute blast.

Mark Chapman (2:31)

I always find it really interesting, Emma, when managers take a new job and have that first meeting with the players, and how they are with you and you are with them, and what your thought process is before you give that first speech, because first impressions count, don't they?

Emma Hayes (2:49)

I played a two-minute video to them. That's how I opened it up.

Mark Chapman (2:52)

Did you?

Emma Hayes (2:54)

It was the video I actually put on my Instagram at the end of my Chelsea season. And it was a two-minute video where I'd taken some of my transcript from my press conferences that hadn't gone live, weaved it with a videographer into a hype video with some visuals around what I wanted them to see, and some inspirational pieces in and around the Olympics. And I introduced myself that way to the group. So I felt that would be emotive and more powerful than just, you know, making noise.

Gabby Logan (3:30)

They all knew presumably everything about you. They knew what you'd done in the women's game, your success at Chelsea. You knew them because they are some of the best players in the world. Is that easier, do you think, or more challenging, having people who have already achieved a lot?

Emma Hayes (3:47)

You know what? I definitely felt that respect, but I wasn't comfortable with it because I feel you have to earn it. So I wanted to earn it too. I didn't want to earn it based off of a reputation. I wanted to be able to deliver. For me, the challenge was, whether it's people saying, oh, you know, you've never coached internationally, or you don't get much time with these players. I was like, oh no, I love the challenge of that. You telling me I've only got two days? I'm going to create the most innovative ways to be able to deliver the right messages in a non-traditional way. Because if you've only got one pitch session, I thought about, well, how can I bring the screen to the pitch? I could do analysis pitch side, and I grab another session like that. Or how could I bring in my executive coach that could help build the value-based stuff in the classroom so we can accelerate the trust that needs to be built in the room? So I felt for the first time again, I could be innovative and creative again, and I really enjoyed having to deliver succinctly.