Casey Stoney has been preparing for her post-career life and the Arsenal Ladies defender is looking forward to managing at the highest level.

She is currently training to get her UEFA A licence, this is the diploma that is needed to manage any FA WSL team and the England Women team as well. Then the ultimate coaching badge is the pro-licence that is needed to manage in the Premier League.

The experienced England international has strong leadership quality, has always been a good reader of the game and has captained teams at international and club level. A couple of seasons ago, rumours were going round that an FA WSL 2 had offered her a managing job.

She has already coached at the top League level back in the FA WPL when Chelsea were there prior to the FA WSL creation. Chelsea had sacked Steve Jones and she was a player-manager often playing herself in central midfield rather than at her usual centre-back position.

She is a strong character who will have no problems managing the top players’ egos and take hard and difficult decisions. Stoney is also an excellent educator and this is an important side of the managing/coaching job. Man management is one of the most needed skill for managers these days.

I remember very well a midweek game between the Chelsea Ladies Academy and Arsenal Ladies Academy played at Cobham on a typical rainy day. Stoney was managing the Chelsea team while Harvs, Luds and Byrnie were on the Arsenal side.

There were multiple incidents during that game with players from both sides behaving badly. One of the Chelsea players was extremely unpleasant and was given a talking to by the referee, but did not seem to change her mindset.

In the end, Stoney took her off the pitch and did not replace her, leaving the Chelsea Academy team with 10 players to show the girl that she had let the team down. I thought and I still think it was a brilliant piece of management.

520643126 casey stoney of england in action during the gettyimages
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – APRIL 12: Casey Stoney of England in action during the UEFA Women’s European Championship Qualifier match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and England at FF BIH Football Training Centre on April 12, 2016 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

I certainly hope down the line to see her coach one of the England Youth teams (from the u15 to the u23) and then put herself in the hat for the senior job a couple of years later.
She could also be a pioneer and move into management in the men’s game.

All she needs is a progressive enough club to hire a woman like Clermont-Ferrand did it in France with great result. Corinne Diacre has been a success nearly leading them to promotion to Ligue Un on a small budget.

You can certainly expect Casey Stoney to be a success at management level in the near future once she has hung up her boots. I would certainly bet on it.