Welcome to the Party
Episode: Emma Hayes: “If You Can’t Change the System… Change It”
Date: April 9, 2026
Hosts: Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach, Billie Jean King
Guest: Emma Hayes (U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach)
Episode Overview
This episode of “Welcome to the Party” centers on powerful, practical change in women’s sports, featuring U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes. Hosts Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, and Billie Jean King dive into Hayes’s vision for transforming U.S. soccer and building systems through a female lens, her personal coaching philosophy, and her ambitious legacy plans to reshape the women’s game in America. The conversation is an inspiring and insightful blueprint for what it means to lead with purpose, empathy, and innovation at the highest level of women’s sport.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Celebrating Women’s Sports Community
[00:00–12:28]
- Opening banter between the hosts, referencing the Billie Jean King Cup (the “World Cup of women’s tennis”) and reflecting on national pride and teamwork in elite women’s sports.
- Billie Jean King recounts key stories from tennis, including coaching Lindsay Davenport, pressure under competition (“pressure is a privilege”), and the unique camaraderie of team events.
- Lighthearted discussion about competitive tempers (including how Abby managed frustration on the soccer field), golf tournaments, and the importance of kindness.
Notable Quote:
“When you play for your country, there’s just something different about it. It’s just, whoa.”
— Billie Jean King [04:29]
2. Emma Hayes: Building A Blueprint for U.S. Women's Soccer
[14:59–26:00]
Emma Hayes Joins: Embracing the U.S. Women’s Program
- Emma Hayes reflects on joining the show, her travel schedule across U.S. cities, and preparing for the opening of the new National Training Center in Atlanta (“It’s breathtaking...without question the biggest training center in the world.”) [18:06]
- Discussions about integrating work and family (Hayes bringing her son Harry on the road), cultural immersion, and work-life balance as examples to her players about joy, balance, and living fully.
Notable Quote:
“When I was at Chelsea, I couldn’t breathe...I didn’t see as much of [my son] as I wanted to. As a parent, I didn’t want to live with that regret anymore...what better education...can I give him than going and taking him on my day off somewhere?”
— Emma Hayes [22:09]
A New Era for U.S. Soccer’s Home Base
- The National Training Center will serve youth and senior national teams, create a hub for coach education and referee development, and is intentionally architected to accommodate future growth and innovation.
- Emphasizes the symbolic and practical impact on American soccer: “It’s a home and a heartbeat...I think it will do so much for the country to have, you know, a soccer home.” [18:56]
3. Supporting Players—A 360° Female Lens
[26:00–41:06]
Innovation in Managing Pregnancy and Return-to-Play
- Hayes details the 360° approach taken with players returning from pregnancy (notably Sophia Smith and Mal Swanson). Multidisciplinary meetings include medical, performance, technical staff, and club representation to support athletes at every stage, emphasizing individual timelines and holistic wellbeing.
Notable Quotes:
“What I’ve learned through so many different experiences with players is that there might be a tendency to rush back. I feel good, but I might have slight pains…and that might be a real red flag.”
— Emma Hayes [28:28]
“It all depends. It’s so individual and knowing that they feel supported is the most important with every step.”
— Emma Hayes [31:44]
Coaching and Building From a ‘Female Lens’
- Hayes explains her conversion to working through a specifically female lens, triggered by a 2016 FA Cup final loss and recognizing the impact of the menstrual cycle on performance.
- Systemic change is her mission: “If you can’t change the system, change the system.”
- Goal: By the 2031 World Cup, have everything from coach education to research embedded in women’s physiology and experience.
Notable Quotes:
“If we lose again, it’s never going to be because of a lack of knowledge around our physiology and anatomy.”
— Emma Hayes [34:17]
“Women deserve the very best. As I say to all my staff, you have to realize lots of things are different about us...Only 5% of research around sports science is on women.”
— Emma Hayes [36:35, 38:56]
Strategies for Scalable Change
- Further underscores the need for separate education and leadership structures for girls’ and women’s soccer.
- Partnerships with universities like Emory and major donors (e.g., Michelle Kang) drive both research and funding for programs that develop coaches, referees, and administrators uniquely for women’s soccer.
- The 2031 legacy: scalable, nationwide change.
Notable Quote:
“The legacy of the female lens for 2031 should be making sure all of this is scalable...and we should have the infrastructure in place.”
— Emma Hayes [43:11]
4. Leadership, Legacy, and Philosophy
[41:47–59:59]
Why the U.S. Job?
- Hayes’s dream since attending the first pro women’s soccer final in the U.S. in 2001; inspired by the team’s ambition and values, and a strong sense of belonging from her formative years in America.
Notable Quote:
“One day I’m gonna work so hard, and one day I’m going to be the head coach of the U.S. women’s national team.”
— Emma Hayes [48:04]
Building Beyond Herself
- Emphasizes not only winning, but system-building so that succeeding generations benefit: “I want the next generation and the people behind me to feel like the women’s game and the girls’ game and the insights around them is by them, for them.”
- Hayes is determined, honest, and empowers people with clear standards and responsibility, focusing on balance, honesty, and lifting others up.
Notable Quotes:
“I want it to be a system. I want it to be enshrined in the culture...This for me is so much bigger, and I totally understand my focus has to be on the team, but I also know I have got a lot of experience that I can share...to help bring to life an incredible vision.”
— Emma Hayes [44:24]
“More importantly, I found that the more I lift people up, the more I empower them—but with responsibility—the more I’m getting out of them.”
— Emma Hayes [55:38]
Addressing Drop-Offs in Girls’ Participation
- Tackles systemic dropout rates among teenage girls by advocating for more flexible, socially inclusive structures and more women in coaching roles.
- Recounts personal experiences and recognizes the need for female role models and adaptable competition models to retain girls in sport.
5. Memorable Moments & Quotes
Hayes on U.S. Women’s Soccer
“The values of the program, the strong characters, women who fought for something bigger than themselves…I always heard of so many men’s teams that did it, but…I think about all the different generations, all fighting for putting the shirt in a better place, putting the game in a better place. That resonates with me.”
— Emma Hayes [48:04]
Billie Jean King on Pressure
“Champions adjust and pressure’s a privilege.”
— Billie Jean King [04:06]
On Joy and Balance
“When a coach brings that, we see it…You have, I think, done such a really good job of that. I commend you.”
— Julie Foudy [53:01]
Hayes’s Life Motto
“If you can’t change the system…change it.”
— Emma Hayes [36:35 / 00:00 as intro highlight]
Highlighted Timestamps
- 00:00–04:07 — Opening banter, values in women’s sports, BJK stories
- 14:59–18:56 — National Training Center and travel plans
- 22:09–26:00 — Family, work-life balance, cultural immersion
- 28:13–32:52 — Return-to-play protocols (pregnancy), 360° support
- 34:08–41:47 — Female lens, influence of physiology, research gaps
- 43:11–45:33 — Big-picture legacy, scalability for 2031
- 48:04–55:38 — Hayes’s “why,” system-building, coaching philosophy
- 59:44–End — Final reflections, gratitude, closing remarks
Final Thoughts
This episode stands out as a manifesto for building sustainable, athlete-centered, and deeply informed structures in women’s sports. Emma Hayes’s leadership is as much about crafting wins as it is about constructing a future for girls and women in soccer—from youth levels to the elite national team. The conversation is filled with warmth, candor, and conviction, offering invaluable insights for anyone who cares about women’s sports and transformative leadership.
For fans of women’s soccer, sports leadership, and organizational change, this episode is a must-listen.