Source:
REUTERS/Carl Recine
[Saba
Sports News] According to British media reports, there have been at least 36
cases of intimate relationships between players and coaches in England’s
women’s football leagues at all levels. One notable case was the dismissal of
Jonathan Morgan, the coach of Sheffield United Women’s Football Team, who
admitted to having a relationship with a 17-year-old player when he was
coaching Leicester City Women’s Football Team. Following this revelation, the
media received reports of numerous other relationships between players and
coaches across various tiers of the English Women’s Football League. These
included relationships between coaches and players on the same coaching staff,
relationships between managers and players, and same-sex relationships
involving female coaches. It is important to note that all 36 cases involved
adults, with many described as “consensual” and “loving.”
However, players themselves have expressed that such relationships often
negatively impact team dynamics, energy, and morale, with some considering them
“unprofessional.” While relationships between players and coaches are
not explicitly prohibited when involving adults, many clubs in different
leagues have codes of conduct that discourage or even prohibit such
relationships.