Congratulations to Helena Costa

Congratulations to Helena Costa who broke a major barrier in the world of professional soccer this week by signing on as the new head coach of the French men's professional soccer team Clermont Foot! Costa will be the first woman to ever coach a top or second division men's team in any of Europe's major soccer leagues as well as the first woman to coach a French professional club. Originally from Portugal, the 36-year-old has previously coached the women's national teams of Iran and Qatar and worked as a scout for the Scottish team Celtic FC.

Coaching is one of the areas of sports where women still face the biggest barriers. As Travis Waldron writes on ThinkProgress: "There has never been a female head coach in any major American pro sports league, and none in major college basketball or football either. Only about 3 percent of men’s sports teams at the college level have women coaches." Moreover, the number of women coaching women's college teams has fallen significantly over the years -- from more than 90% in 1972 to 43% in 2012.

Costa's hire has been received positively in the media and at least one of Costa's future players believes that it may be a sign of change. Defender Anthony Lippini told L'Equipe, "I was talking with my physiotherapist about the time when the first woman entered the army – a very macho environment. At first, there was a lot of shock. But now, women in the army is has become normal. This may be the same in football."

A Mighty Girl wishes Helena Costa & Clermont Foot much success in the next season!