Understanding the impact of professional football club cultural climates on the experiences of women working in football

Since the professionalization of English women’s football in 2018, it is now considered a viable career opportunity for women footballers. Nevertheless, little is known about women working within the culture of professional football clubs, the impact on their career experiences, and crucially, within the context of women’s sport. Utilizing Schein’s model of organizational culture as a theoretical framework and focusing on the professional tiers of English women’s football, we interviewed General Managers and Head Coaches for what they perceive to be the cultural features of their organizations that either constrain or support the recruitment, retention, and/or progression of female leaders. Through this, we identified cultural features that either constrain or support the recruitment, retention, and progression of female leaders. In doing so, this research advances existing literature by centering the specific dynamics of women’s sport organizations rather than extrapolating from men’s football and offers a gendered critique of cultural assumptions that continue to marginalize women. We also extend Schein’s framework by applying it to a gendered sporting context, highlighting how deeper cultural artefacts, espoused values, and underlying assumptions intersect with structural inequalities. Findings suggest that women continue to be appraised on the basis of gender rather than capability and that club cultures and practices are constraining the appointment of a gender-diverse workforce. We argue for a shift in focus toward systemic cultural change to address persistent gender inequalities in football leadership.