Meet Emma Hayes – ITV’s breakout World Cup star wowing viewers with unique TV insights

Emma Hayes is fast turning into one of the stars of the show at the World Cup with ITV.

The former Chelsea Women manager, who is working with the broadcaster for the tournament, has been impressing viewers with her tactical insights during the much-maligned hydration breaks.

The 49-year-old has been imparting her wisdom with nothing more than a blackboard and a piece of chalk at ITV’s impressive studio in Brooklyn, New York.

But while Hayes may be a fresh face for some World Cup viewers, for others, who have followed the women’s game closely for the past decade, she is instanstly recognisable as one of the most successful English coaches of her generation.

End of playing dream and start of management career

Born in London, Hayes was part of the Arsenal academy as a youngster, but the budding midfielder was forced into an early retirement from the sport after suffering a serious ankle injury on a ski trip.

With her dream of becoming a professional footballer cruelly dashed, Hayes turned to academia, studying at Liverpool Hope University before completing a master’s degree in intelligence and international affairs.

Her time at university was the catalyst behind her move into management, with a spell coaching the women’s team in the late 1990s resulting in a youth player development role at Crystal Palace.

From there, Hayes landed a role as a first-team coach with a move to American side Long Island Rough Riders in 2002, which saw her become the youngest coach in the USL W-League.

After being named the Coach of the Season, Hayes moved to Iona Gaels a year later and remained with the New York-based club for two years.

Hayes returned to England in 2005 to take up a role as an assistant first team coach with Arsenal Ladies.

A hugely successful three years followed with Arsenal winning 11 major trophies during her time at the club, including three league titles, three FA Cups and the UEFA Cup.

Hayes was back in the US in 2008 after being appointed as manager of the Chicago Red Stars, which was followed by technical director roles at other American sides.

Unrivalled success at Chelsea

Hayes returned home to the UK again in 2012 and was appointed as the Chelsea Women manager during the middle of the season.

The Camden-born coach spent her first few years at Chelsea laying the foundations for what would become one of the most dominant periods in English women’s club football.

Her first taste of silverware was the Women’s Super League (WSL) and FA Cup double in 2015, which were the first of 16 trophies collected during her hugely successful time at the club.

All told, Hayes won seven WSL titles at Chelsea, including five in a row between 2020 and 2024.

Her Chelsea trophy cabinet also boasts a total of five FA Cups, two League Cups, a WSL Spring Season title and a Community Shield.

One glaring omission from her Chelsea CV is the Champions League title, though, which eluded Hayes during her time in west London.

A runners-up medal in the 2020/21 season was the closest Hayes and Chelsea got to tasting success on the European stage, suffering a 4-0 defeat to the all-conquering Barcelona side in the final.

Hayes’ trophy-laden spell at Chelsea also saw her recognised on an individual level, with an induction into the WSL Hall of Fame in 2021 followed by her winning The Best FIFA Football Coach award in 2022.

Landing the biggest job of them all

Hayes’ long reign at Chelsea came to an end in 2024 when she became the new manager of the United States, arguably the most prestigious and high-profile role in the women’s game.

Despite just two months to settle into the job, Hayes guided the star-studded US side to the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The US won all six of their games in the tournament, with a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final seeing the USWNT claim their fifth Olympic gold medal – and first since 2012.

Hayes will lead the US at next year’s Women’s World Cup, which is taking place in Brazil across June and July.

Should the US clinch a record-extending fifth World Cup title, Hayes would become just the second English manager, male or female, to win the World Cup.