West Ham’s Rehanne Skinner on female coaches, ambitions & scuba diving

Skinner left Tottenham Hotspur in March after a run of nine straight WSL defeats, but prior to that had led the team to a fifth-placed finish in the table.

It was during her time at Spurs that she caught the eye of West Ham defender Hawa Cissoko, who said she had always hoped to work with Skinner as she was “a big fan of female managers”.

“There are a lot of really top female coaches around the country and around the world that are more than capable and maybe haven’t had the opportunities in the past,” said Skinner.

“That’s something that we need to continue to address. But I do think it’s about the experiences and not just the gender.

“You have to be approachable, be prepared to work with players so they are more open in general with you, and also be qualified to do the job.”

Cissoko said a big factor in her support for female managers was their understanding of a range of issues, including women’s health and struggles players are likely to have faced in male-dominated environments.

“I think women understand other women better. The way to interact with women, Skinner knows how to do it because she is one herself,” added Cissoko.

Skinner said she has “picked things up” during her 20-year coaching career working with women and now has a better understanding of factors that can impact performance.

“We’ve all come through a world where women’s football has not necessarily been accepted particularly well,” said Skinner.

“The most important thing for me is that people don’t have to experience some of the things I have experienced trying to become a coach at the highest level. Players shouldn’t need to go through that.

“It’s why I’m so passionate about growing the game. I want players to be able to turn up, do their jobs really well, play the game they love, inspire other people – and that’s that really.

“I’ve evolved little ways of managing things to try to help them. That’s important so they are supported to do their jobs really well.”