Loading…
Première Ligue
Sandrine Soubeyrand at Paris FC is the sole female head coach in the Arkema Première Ligue, with the FFF pledging to tackle the persistent gender imbalance.
AIVIASPORT is a women’s sports platform covering the latest women’s sports news, scores, schedules, results, standings, rankings, fixtures, transfers and analysis from major leagues, tours and competitions around the world.
Our women’s football coverage includes the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Women’s Super League (WSL), Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Première Ligue, Serie A Femminile, Toppserien, A-Liga and Damallsvenskan, as well as major international women’s football competitions.
In women’s tennis, VIASPORT follows the WTA Tour and all four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. Our women’s golf coverage includes the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour (LET) and the major women’s golf championships.
VIASPORT also covers women’s basketball, including the WNBA, as well as women’s boxing, MMA and combat sports. Our boxing coverage follows major fights, world championships, rankings and title bouts across organizations including the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO, while our MMA coverage includes major organizations such as the UFC, Professional Fighters League (PFL), Invicta FC, ONE Championship and RIZIN Fighting Federation.
Our wider women’s sports coverage includes athletics, cycling, swimming, winter sports, motorsport and other emerging women’s sports and competitions. From domestic leagues and professional tours to major international championships, VIASPORT brings women’s sports news, live updates, results and analysis together in one dedicated destination.
Sandrine Soubeyrand stands alone. The Paris FC boss is the only female head coach in the Arkema Première Ligue this season - a statistic that has prompted France's football federation (FFF) to confront a persistent gender gap in the dugout.
The league's own Instagram page tells the story starkly: of the 12 head coaches featured in early September, Soubeyrand is the sole woman. It is the fourth time in a decade that female representation has dipped this low, a decline accelerated by Sarah M'Barek's departure from Lens, OneFootball reports.
Hubert Fournier, speaking on behalf of the federation, acknowledged the problem but stressed that clubs retain autonomy over hiring decisions. He pointed to Élise Bussaglia's role as assistant coach at PSG and the presence of female staff across academy setups as signs of progress - while conceding that more must be done to dismantle barriers.
France's situation is far from unique. England leads with eight female coaches among 14 top-flight sides. Germany manages four out of 14, Spain three from 16, and Italy just two of 14. The picture across the continent remains uneven at best.
Lens president Andreea Koenig has argued that greater opportunities must be created at youth level, warning that expecting former players to take on coaching duties without pay is unsustainable. The FFF trialled a free Women's Football Coaching Certificate in 2020, designed as an entry point for aspiring coaches, but deeper structural support is clearly still needed.
Written by
Updated
Copyright 2026 VIASPORT
Eva Hernández, Editor-in-Chief
VIASPORT uses AI to generate, enhance, and quality-assure its journalism. While we strive to create engaging and accurate material, imagery, grammar, and spelling may occasionally deviate from conventional standards.
