The A-League Women competition has seen a record number of female coaches, with four out of the ten coaches in the league female.

This is a large jump from last year, with only one female coach in the league during the 2020/21 season.

Wellington Phoenix coach, Gemma Lewis, said: “The more we can demonstrate that females are more than capable at that level, that will show others and mean [more] female coaches coming through the pathways.”

Newcastle Jets coach, Ash Wilson, said: “To see more females stepping up is great, but for me it’s not a female or male thing, it’s who’s the right coach for the job.”

Catherine Cannuli (Western Sydney Wanderers), Ash Wilson (Newcastle Jets), Vicki Linton (Canberra United) and Gemma Lewis (Wellington Phoenix) are the only head female coaches in the league.

Canberra United is the first female, stand-alone club, with no male affiliate team and is paving the way for making women’s sport more equal.

Canberra United head coach, Vicki Linton, said it doesn’t matter what gender a club is, only that it is fair.

“Even though I’m proud that we’ve got an all-female staff, that, to me, doesn’t matter,” Linton said.

However, Lewis said she believes it’s all about breaking barriers.

“We can break down those barriers and show if you’ve gone through that training, you’ve got your badges, you will be given that opportunity,” Lewis said.