Hayes on her love for Chelsea, job pressures and growth of the women’s game

At the end of the 2012 Women's Super League, a club that was about to finish third- bottom was about to get a new coach.

The teams below them had lost two of their three wins that season. Finding offices to work from was one of the initial challenges.

When there isn't anything there, you have to put everything there, according to the man.

It was hard because very few people had to do much work at the beginning. It was difficult.

The season before she joined, she was a part of the team that reached the FA Cup final and were ahead in normal time, extra time and the penalty shoot out.

The talent within the part-time squad was reflected in their place in the bottom two.

She says that they did well considering how far behind they were.

I don't want to think about it. Getting the infrastructure in place was all I focused on. I only cared about that.

The polymathy and breadth of vision she had developed during her first 11 years in the game helped her land a job in financial services.

She was part of the team that won the Women's Uefa Cup in 2006 and was also an assistant coach.

Emma Hayes
As a 31-year-old, Hayes turned down the chance to succeed Vic Akers as Arsenal manager because she did not feel it would challenge her enough, instead moving to the United States

She was the technical director for Western New York Flash, based in the US, prior to joining her current job.

She says it was a step backwards for her because she had coached at a higher level in America. I realized that there was a lot of work to be done.

It will take at least two years to get a team that represents you.

She wanted to make her opponent hard to score against and change the team's long-ball style during her first season.

Emma Hayes
A 2-0 defeat at Sincil Bank contributed to Chelsea finishing below third-bottom Lincoln in the 2013 WSL season

The clubs that pursued instant success through heavy investment were the opposite of the ones that focused on sustainable approaches.

Thepivotal in helping to transform the professionalism of the club and its global image was the signing of then-Bundesliga top scorer Yuki Ogimi.

A defeat on the final day of the season denied the title to them. They missed out on the European places for the first time, but their signings inspired them to win the league title and FA Cup the next year.

Ji So-yun and Emma Hayes
Ji So-yun was one of Hayes' key Chelsea signings, scoring 68 goals in 208 appearances between 2014 and 2022

The club's all-time top scorer and assist provider, Fran Kirby, and the club's all-time top scorer and assist provider, Ji So-yun, were also important.

When we won the double, I was a part-time employee. Many of the players and staff were part time. Two or three years prior to that, we had more resources.

Since then, they have repeated the league and FA Cup double three times.

Sam Kerr and Emma Hayes
Sam Kerr has been the WSL top-scorer in each of her two campaigns with Chelsea and was the top-flight player of the season for 2021-22

After watching the profiles of her star players bloom in tandem with the sport, she is interested in the business side of football as much as she is with her coaching sessions.

She says that she has as much enjoyment in the growth of the game as she does in winning. Kingsmeadow has a capacity of 4,000.

I've been playing women's football for many years. I loved watching England win the Euros and watching Manchester United play Manchester City. When it's at Old Manchester, it looks good.

A banner of Emma Hayes
Chelsea are chasing a fourth successive WSL title in 2022-23 and remain contenders to win the Champions League for the first time

Ten years after he was appointed as manager of the team, he's not interested in reminiscing.

Can you remember what you were doing a decade ago?

When we've won, my focus is on how I get to a place, not what it feels like when I'm there.

Whenever we win, I feel relieved and I'm happy that it's over. It takes its toll on me.

I knew we would be successful. I know who I am and I'm positive about that.

I always thought I was here for a reason. Building a club was not the reason for winning trophies.