16 trophies, including 7 WSL titles and 5 FA Cups, over more than 12 years—Emma Hayes was truly cooking at Chelsea Women. One could say the English manager was living her best life while simultaneously cementing her name in the soccer world. However, with glory came immense struggles, many of which remained unknown until now, as Hayes opens up about the ‘difficult‘ path she had to endure.

If you think coaching was all that the 48-year-old did during her time in London, then you might be mistaken. “It definitely wasn’t easy because I had a full-time job at Comm Garden,” narrated Hayes during her recent chat with GirlsontheBall podcast.

“I remember going to work all day, getting on a moped, driving to AO, getting on the train out to Cobham, coaching till about 9:30, then taking a half-one train back to Waterloo, getting on the moped, and driving back to Camden. I’d get home about midnight, then go to work again the following day,” she added.

Surprisingly, Hayes never thought she’d end up becoming a world-class coach, who recently won the Johan Cruyff Women’s Coach Award in the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Reflecting on her early years, she revealed that she initially saw her role as simply helping to set up the team and club. “I thought I’d end up working in business or in the family business, which I thoroughly enjoyed,” she claimed.

However, fate wanted her to make a career in the beautiful game, which at Chelsea presented her with a few complications. “But yeah, it was difficult because there weren’t a lot of resources. We didn’t have full-time players or shared facilities. It was a huge build by a lot of people over a long period of time. I don’t actually think it took about eight or nine years before it felt like, ‘Okay, this is the right setup,'” concluded Hayes.

Who would have thought that behind all the success, Emma had to go through such a wringer? No wonder she had praise for WSL’s rival league!

Emma Hayes praises NWSL’s quality over WSL in ‘selling experiences’

The former Blues boss not only likes to live the American dream but she is also impressed with the amount of work that the US has put in the development of their women’s soccer domestic league. “What I think the NWSL has is some serious investors across the league that know how to sell football stadiums, that know how to sell an experience and I’ve been used to that from time out there,” she said during the same discussion.

Before starting her life in the WSL, Hayes had enjoyed the domestic culture of the States. Highlighting the ‘welcoming‘ nature of the NWSL, the London-born manager claimed that it also ‘fits with the culture’ of the country, where people are more indulged in women’s games compared to back in England.

We reckon Hayes wouldn’t mind working in the USA’s domestic scene again. Regardless, just as they say, the harder you work, the luckier you get, and Emma now looks to be enjoying her best days as a USWNT manager, thanks to the struggle she had to go through in the past.