Helena Costa will become the first woman to coach a men’s professional soccer team in the top two divisions of one of Europe’s big five leagues.
Clermont Foot 63, a second-tier French club, announced on their website that the 36-year-old will take over at the end of this season.
The statement read, “Helena Costa came through the ranks at Benfica before taking charge of the women's teams at Odivelas, then the national teams of Qatar and Iran, in addition to working as a scout for Celtic.”
Clermont is currently in 14th place in Ligue 2 with two matches left, and injured defender Anthony Lippini chimed in on what it will be like next season.
"I cannot wait to return next season to be a part of it. I'm really curious. It will be a unique experience to be the first professional football team to be managed by a woman France. It is good. It creates a buzz."
Celtic FC also showed their support on their twitter page.
Congratulations to Helena Costa on historic appointment http://t.co/zH2LkJu9Im
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) May 7, 2014
Costa isn’t the first woman ever be in charge of a professional men's team. In 1999, Carolina Morace was at the helm of Italian Serie C1 team Viterbese, but she stepped down after two matches due to the stress of the media.
Moreover, women aren’t completely absent in men's professional football. In the early 2000s, France had Nelly Viennot who was the first woman to be an assistant referee in elite matches and Champions League games. That said, like many other men's professional sports, soccer has largely passed over women for key roles like manager within top divisions - and when they do find their way into these roles, women can often experience much prejudice. Sian Massey works as female linesman in England, and British broadcasters Richard Keys and Andy Gray were caught making derogatory remarks about Massey during a game. Both were fired.
In a time where racism has taken center stage in soccer, Costa's hire has broken down an important barrier and has an opportunity to show it’s not about gender, but rather how much you know about soccer and how well you perform.
"I was talking with my physiotherapist about the time when the first woman entered the army – a very macho environment," Clermont defender Lippini said. "At first, there was a lot of shock. But now, women in the army is has become normal. This may be the same in football."
While the length and financial terms of the contract were not released, Costa will replace former Montpellier midfielder Regis Brouard, whose contract as head coach of Clermont expires at the end of the season.
