Fully immersed in 'holiday mode' and enjoying a few drinks, Carla Ward received an unexpected phone call from Emma Hayes. The USA head coach invited her to join her team for a major sporting event in France during July and August. 'I'll be honest, I'd had a few glasses of wine or maybe some strawberry daiquiris, I can't recall exactly, and I didn't take it seriously,' recalls the former Aston Villa manager. 'I thought: 'I've got a holiday booked, let me see if I can change it.' My friend then said: 'What's wrong with you? This is the Olympics!' – that's when it hit me. Emma meant: 'Come to the Olympics.'
Ward is undoubtedly glad she accepted the offer. At 40, she joined Hayes' backroom team as a scout, analyzing opponents during a campaign that culminated in the US team winning gold in Paris. Speaking ahead of the USA's match against England at Wembley, she recalls an unforgettable learning experience. 'There was never a doubt in my mind that she was going to win gold,' Ward says of Hayes. 'Being around the team 24/7, you could sense the calm and confidence. People hang on her every word, and rightly so. Seeing how she delivers messages and creates this environment is remarkable. For me, she's the best in the world.'
Apart from that summer rendezvous with the Americans, the past six months for Ward have been about rest. She left Villa after three years in charge of the Women's Super League side in May, planning to take a break from management and feeling fully rejuvenated. 'I'm refreshed, I'm recharged. It's been the mental-wellness break I needed,' she says, having managed Sheffield United and Birmingham before her 2021 switch to Villa. 'I've had some incredible time with my daughter and I'm in a really good place physically and mentally. I'm mentally recharged after nine years of relentless work. This is the first break I've had and I must say, I've enjoyed it.'
Ward guided Villa to ninth, fifth, and seventh-place finishes in her three campaigns. Reflecting on her decision to step aside, it's clear her affection for the club made her feel conflicted. 'It was arguably the hardest decision I've ever made in my career,' Ward says. 'I knew I was burning out. I was working at a relentless pace. There was a tipping point with my daughter, at Christmas time last year, when she asked me if I had a day off and when we could spend more time together. I found that really difficult.
During those tough moments, and throughout her managerial career, Hayes has acted as an unofficial mentor. Ward jokes that the former Chelsea manager, who won the WSL for a fifth consecutive time before moving across the Atlantic, 'can't get rid of me.' 'No one will truly understand how much she has guided me in the last four or five years. I've been very fortunate. After our first conversation, she said: 'Anything you need, give me a call.' And she probably regrets that now because we don't stop. She's like a big sister, a mentor, all of the above, and I'll forever be grateful.'
It is because of that help from Hayes that Ward is determined to pass on kindness to younger aspiring coaches herself. She is joining the Powerhouse Project as head of coaching for their UEFA B prep programme, a course designed to ensure coaches are ready to undertake the UEFA B licence course. The project was set up by the former professional footballers turned broadcasters Rosie and Mollie Kmita, and Ward will be leading practical and classroom-based coaching sessions, providing mentorship to coaches and participants.
For Ward, however, there remains a strong desire to get back into management. 'That [management] is my passion, that's who I am, that's what I do,' she says. When and where remains a mystery, but it seems clear the game has not seen the last of Ward.
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