Leading Lady: Soccer Team Hires First Female Coach in French History

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Helena Costa has become the first female coach in France's professional men's soccer history after being hired by Clermont, a club in France's second-tier league, Ligue 2.

Image: Amin Mohammad Jamali

By Alex Magdaleno2014-05-07 22:56:30 -0400

Helena Costa became the first female coach in the history of professional soccer in France.

Costa, 36, will replace former head coach Regis Brouard at Clermont, a club which is currently in 14th place in Ligue 2 — France's second tier league — with two games remaining. She previously coached the women's national teams of Qatar and Iran, and worked as a scout for top Glasgow club Celtic. Costa also managed youth teams for Benfica — a club in her home country of Portugal — and led the Under-17 team to two World Youth titles.

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Her appointment is a major breakthrough in a sport where coaching is dominated by men. Not only has Costa become the first female coach in French professional soccer, but, according to Eurosport , she is the first women to be hired as head coach of a team in the top two divisions of Europe's top five leagues.

The only other female coach of a professional men's team in European history was Caroline Morace, who coached a third-tier Italian team for two matches before quitting — citing pressure from the media attention — in 1999.

While there have been female executives and directors at the top of football clubs, Costa's appointment marks a breakthrough at the coaching level. Twitter users expressed excitement:

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Topics: Entertainment, europe, france, head coach, soccer, Sports, women, World