Helena Costa
.jpg) Costa as the coach of Qatar before a match agenst Iran women's national football team | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Helena Margarida dos Santos e Costa | ||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1978 | ||
| Place of birth |
Alhandra , Portugal | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1997–2010 | Benfica (youth) | ||
| 2005–2006 | Cheleirense | ||
| 2006–2008 | 1º Dezembro (Women) | ||
| 2008–2009 | Odivelas (Women) | ||
| 2010–2012 | Qatar (Women) | ||
| 2012–2014 | Iran (Women) | ||
| 2014 | Clermont Foot | ||
Helena Margarida dos Santos e Costa (born 15 April 1978) is a Portuguese football manager. She managed Iran women's national football team from 2012 to 2014. She was most recently head of scouting for EFL Championship club Watford.
Career
Costa has a master's degree in sports science and a UEFA A Licence in coaching.
As an international manager, she managed
She was initially going to coach French Ligue 2 club Clermont Foot from the end of the 2013–14 season[1] becoming the first female coach of a professional football club in France, and the first in the top two tiers of a major European league.[5] France's Women's Minister, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, reacted to Costa's announced appointment at Clermont Foot by writing "Congratulations to Clermont Foot for understanding that giving a place to women is the future of professional football" on Twitter.[6] However, in June 2014, she decided to quit the position,[7] citing "total amateurism" and a "lack of respect" from the part of the club, with the sporting director having players signed without her consent, and would not reply to her attempts to contact him.[8] Costa was replaced by another woman, Corinne Diacre.
Costa was appointed as a scout for Eintracht Frankfurt in June 2017.[9]
In December 2022, Costa followed Ben Manga from Germany to England to join EFL Championship club Watford as Head of Scouting.[10] On 30 December 2023, she announced that she had left her position at the Hertfordshire-based club.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e Helena Costa: French Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot name woman boss BBC Sport, 7 May 2014
- ^ "Congratulations to Helena Costa on historic appointment". Celtic F.C. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ World First Top Female Boss Daily Record (Scotland). 11 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ "Helena Costa to become Iran's Women football coach". OANA News. 22 October 2012.
- ^ "French club Clermont Foot makes history with Helena Costa coaching appointment". CNN. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ Belkacem, Najat (7 May 2014). "Bravo au Clermont Foot de comprendre que donner leur place aux femmes est l'avenir du football professionnel". Twitter (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ "Communiqué officiel" (in French). clermontfoot.com. 23 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- ^ "Helena Costa: Female coach explains Clermont quit decision". BBC Sport. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
- ^ "Eintracht Frankfurt appoint former Iran and Qatar coach Helena Costa as a scout". Bundesliga. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ "Ben Manga: Technical Director Confirmed". www.watfordfc.com. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "Helena Costa já não é 'chief scout' do Watford" [Helena Costa is no longer Watford's 'chief scout']. A Bola (in European Portuguese). 30 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.