Bundesliga continues gender equality progress as Eintracht Frankfurt hire first female scout
Germany continues to make huge strides in gender equality advancement in soccer. Their women's league has long been one of the best in the world, with the Women’s Bundesliga the most successful league in terms of UEFA Women’s Champions League winners. Just last month, the Bundesliga announced that Bibiana Steinhaus will be the league's first ever female referee.
Now, with the hire of Helena Costa, Eintracht Frankfurt have become the first Bundesliga side to ever hire a female scout.
Costa, 39, brings a wealth of experience in the game as she joins Frankfurt's staff. She holds a UEFA A coaching license, and spent 13 years as a coach in Benfica’s youth system. Costa spent time in the backroom staff at Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, and was in charge of both the Qatar and Iran women’s teams. This is far from the first time she's made history, taking charge of French Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot in 2014, becoming the first woman to manage a men’s team in the top two divisions of a major European league.
Costa will help the club expand their footprint in the Portuguese game, and continue to expand on their already richly diverse team, already boasting 17 different nationalities.
“She has real knowledge of football and has already experienced a great deal in her life in the sport. We want scouts who live in and know the countries where we’re looking for talent,” said Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic.
With her experience in Portugal and in France, it seems Costa fits that profile perfectly.
