Emma Hayes Named Ballon d’Or Women’s Coach of the Year

Emma Hayes has earned another coaching award, and it’s a big one. Today, the United States Women’s National Team head coach was awarded the Ballon d’Or as the 2024 Women’s Coach of the Year.

This is actually the first time that a Ballon d’Or has been awarded for a women’s coach. This year, the Ballon d’Or expanded to include coaches for the first time, with categories for both the men’s and women’s games. The Ballon d’Or is awarded based on the votes from journalists from the 100 highest ranked FIFA nations, with 1 journalist from each country. Voters are currently instructed to take in account the most recent season in determining their vote rather than the calendar year.

Hayes was not present at the award ceremony with the United States playing against Argentina in Louisville on Wednesday. However, Hayes did record a reaction that was played during the ceremony.

It is of course not stated exactly why Hayes won, but her time with the USWNT undeniably was part of the reason why voters chose her. Since taking over the national team this May, Hayes has turned around a team that put in a historically poor showing at the 2023 World Cup back to the top as Gold Medalists at the 2024 Olympic Games. Hayes, who is an English national, would also have been considered for her stellar record in the English Women’s Super League. Hayes won the WSL league title with Chelsea in the most recently completed season, her 5th league title in a row and her 7th overall.

Here are the other top 5 vote-getters:

We of course congratulate Coach Hayes for this honor and her stunning achievements over the last year. We would of course love to see your thoughts and reflections on Emma Hayes in the comments below.