The Football Association defended their decision yesterday to appoint Mark Sampson as head coach of England’s women’s team while aiming to raise the the number of women working in football.

Earlier in the week Kick It Out chair Lord Ouseley called Sampson’s appointment last year “an insult to all women,” after he replaced Hope Powell who had held the position for 15 years.

But the FA said they appointed Sampson, who was head coach of Women’s Super League side Bristol Academy, due to how well he would do in the dugout and not because of his gender.

FA director of women’s football Kelly Simmons said: “When we looked to recruit a new head coach for the England women’s team following Hope’s departure, we spoke to people from across the game both domestically and internationally before making any appointment. It was about appointing the best person for the job and the recruitment process was open to all.

“We were delighted to secure Mark’s services and he has done a superb job, evidenced by the successful qualification campaign for the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup.

“We want the best male and female coaches working across both games. Mo Marley and Kay Cossington are managing our England youth teams while Marieanne Spacey is assistant coach of the England women’s team.”

Simmons went on to pay tribute to the foundations Powell left in place and feels that the women’s game wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for the former England manager.

“The growth of the women’s football has been remarkable,” she said. “And, without question, Hope left a strong legacy after 15 years leading the women’s senior team. Hope played a significant part in helping the FA raise the profile of the women’s game to the point where it’s stronger than it has ever been.”

The next step for the FA, according to Simmons, is to make sure that they address the shortage of women in football. In the Women’s Super League Emma Hayes is the only female manager and a mentoring scheme will be brought in to focus on producing female players and coaches as well as a FA B coaching licence aimed specifically at women’s football.

“While we should all be encouraged by these huge gains, we cannot become complacent,” she added. “There is a still a shortage of female coaches and we are working hard to address this.

“To further increase the coaching talent pool, the FA has set up a female coaching mentoring scheme through the new elite development unit which is focused on developing both female players and coaches.

“The FA is also currently running a B Licence specific course for women until end of February 2015. 

“Around 80 per cent are female coaches and the remainder is made up of male coaches working in the women’s game.”