A new wave of inspiration and opportunity has arrived for women in football coaching as FIFA officially launches the third edition of its Elite Performance.
Coach Mentorship Programme in Zurich, Switzerland. The initiative, which runs for 18 months, continues to redefine the pathways for aspiring female coaches, pairing them with some of the most accomplished names in the game.
This latest edition brings together 20 rising female coaches from around the world, each matched with a seasoned mentor, many of whom are current national team head coaches or icons of the women’s game.
Mentors include the likes of Arthur Elias (Brazil), Desiree Ellis (South Africa), Francisco Neto (Portugal), Joe Montemurro (Australia), and Angelo Marsiglia (Colombia), alongside legendary figures such as Tina Theune (Germany), Even Pellerud (Norway), and Corinne Diacre (France).
The programme is designed not only to build tactical knowledge and coaching expertise but to also provide mentorship, career guidance, and support through practical learning experiences.
It includes three in-person workshops, virtual mentoring sessions, and up to five exchange visits between mentors and mentees, offering a deeply immersive coaching journey.
Among the standout mentees this year is Melanie Behringer, a former FIFA Women’s World Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist with Germany.
Now coaching the Germany U-17 women’s national team, Behringer is working closely with her mentor, Even Pellerud, a pioneer in the women’s game with decades of coaching experience.
Reflecting on her early steps into coaching, Behringer said:
“I’m still a young coach, and I know I have weaknesses. We’ve already started discussing them. I believe with his experience, he can help me become a better coach in the next 18 months.”
Pellerud added his own perspective, speaking candidly about the value of mentorship:
“I wish I had this when I was starting out. I made a lot of mistakes, overconfident, sometimes even reckless. A mentor back then could have helped me avoid many of them.”
The programme also celebrates a significant milestone in its evolution: the rise of Simone Jatoba from mentee to mentor.
Having once been guided by Corinne Diacre, Jatoba is now mentoring Delphine Soret, a young coach based in Tahiti. The former Brazil U-17 coach says the lessons she gained as a mentee are now shaping how she leads and supports others.
“It was an incredible experience being mentored by Corinne. Now, I’m giving back by sharing what I’ve learned, both from my playing career and coaching journey. I want Delphine to benefit from every bit of that.”
The growing impact of the programme reflects FIFA’s broader commitment to empowering women in football, particularly in technical roles. Jill Ellis, FIFA’s Chief Football Officer and a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup-winning coach, emphasized the importance of creating inclusive opportunities for women to thrive in coaching.
“At FIFA, our job is to reduce the barriers women face, whether that’s financial constraints, lack of access to coaching licenses, or limited mentorship opportunities,” Ellis said. “This programme is one of the many ways we are actively investing in the next generation of women leaders in football.”
With its focus on hands-on learning, international collaboration, and leadership development, the Elite Performance: Coach Mentorship Programme continues to shape the future of women’s football, one coach at a time.
