Being USA boss like becoming a grandparent - Hayes

United States leader Emma Hayes says moving successful world shot is for illustration "becoming a grandparent" arsenic managers only walk short periods of clip pinch their players.

The erstwhile Chelsea manager, speaking aft being inducted into nan National Football Museum's Hall of Fame, said managing nan US has been "thoroughly enjoyable".

"It has been incredible, it really has," said nan 48-year-old. "It is for illustration becoming a grandparent, world football. You don't get to spot them [the players] each of nan clip and you nonstop them backmost to their parents - aliases their clubs - astatine nan extremity of that period.

"I've really enjoyed getting to cognize a caller group of players and moving pinch a federation that person been really beloved to maine and a monolithic portion of my development."

Hayes added that she felt she had been "ready" for a move distant from nine shot aft a profession that saw her triumph 7 convention titles pinch Chelsea, and said her caller domiciled allows her to "zoom out" and usage her "strategic thinking" to attraction connected semipermanent solutions.

Just nether 3 months aft taking complete arsenic US manager, she led nan broadside to a golden badge astatine nan Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

They besides reached nan last of nan invitational SheBelieves Cup successful February, though they were beaten 2-1 by Japan.

"I didn't deliberation nan modulation would beryllium what it is. It's been thoroughly enjoyable and I'm enjoying life arsenic an world coach," she said.

"I ever felt arsenic a nine coach you've conscionable sewage to spell each 3 days and it's conscionable nan adjacent game. To person a small spot longer to deliberation astir a people to winning and really to put successful spot nan champion practices, I consciousness for illustration having that clip has freed maine up to create different portion of myself."

Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, Hayes told athletics presenter Delyth Lloyd she was "proud" of her inclusion successful nan hallway of fame, which puts her alongside managers specified arsenic Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Bob Paisley and Brian Clough.

She said: "I deliberation it's a proud time for maine and my family and 1 wherever I think, erstwhile you've taken clip from nan activity I've done astatine Chelsea, I get nan opportunity to bespeak connected that. I'm really happy to beryllium here."

Hayes expressed pride, too, for really Chelsea person performed nether caller head Sonia Bompastor, and she said her successor has taken nan squad "to a caller level".

She besides paid tribute to erstwhile Liverpool and Chelsea leader Matt Beard pursuing his decease earlier this month, saying he will beryllium remembered arsenic a "great quality being".

"Players loved him. He cared astir them, he developed them, he built a winning squad astatine Liverpool," said Hayes. "He has influenced truthful overmuch of nan ecosystem [in women's football] and he did it earlier anybody other was looking, he did it erstwhile he didn't person immoderate money.

"His sacrifice was truthful immense that his bequest will beryllium truthful galore things that it's important we proceed to radiance a ray connected nan struggles that quality beings tin person and retrieve that Matt Beard and nan organization he created is unsocial successful a batch of ways and 1 we person to protect successful honour of his legacy."