Emma Carol Hayes OBE (born 18 October 1976) is an English professional football manager who is the head coach of the United States women's national team.

In the USL W-League, she led the team to finish first in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference,[8] and was named as the league's coach of the season.

[12] After she was sacked in 2010,[13] she took up a technical director role at Western New York Flash and advised them on transfers, helping to create a team that won the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer championship.

After another stint as a consultant for Washington Freedom, Hayes returned to London and worked for the family business, Covent Garden FX, a currency exchange.

[15] After narrowly missing out on the 2014 FA WSL 1 title on the final day, Hayes oversaw a huge squad overhaul that bore witness to the addition of several arrivals.

After their 2–1 home defeat by VfL Wolfsburg, Hayes criticised The Football Association for poor fixture scheduling, insisting that the competition is "geared to French, German and Swedish teams, and until we change that or listen to clubs like Chelsea we are always going to get knocked out in the early rounds.

[27] Aided with the addition of new players including Ramona Bachmann, Maren Mjelde, Erin Cuthbert and Crystal Dunn, Emma Hayes guided her side to finish top, in a reorganised FA WSL1, on goal difference.

[citation needed] The team also played the FA Cup competitions and reached the semi-final but were knocked out by Birmingham City in a penalty shoot-out.

Hayes sought to rebuild the team at the conclusion of the 2017–18 season around new recruits Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder, Melanie Leupolz, Magda Eriksson, and Ann Katrin Berger, having moved on some key first-team players.

[36] Based on the 2020–21 season, on 17 January 2022, she was adjudged The Best FIFA Football Coach, beating off competition from Lluís Cortés and Sarina Wiegman.

[43][44] On 14 November 2023, Hayes was named Head Coach of the United States women's national team starting at the conclusion of the WSL season.

[46][47] Hayes was named Head Coach of the United States women's national team (USWNT) starting at the conclusion of the WSL season.

"[52] In 2023, Hayes co-wrote a book, Kill The Unicorn, which discusses high-performance management and argues that the perception of a single great leader is a myth.

[53] Chelsea forward Fran Kirby, who suffered from severe depression after the loss of her mother early in her life and from a career-threatening illness in her late 20s, is particularly close to Hayes.