A Completely Different Game: My Leadership Playbook

by Emma Hayes, Michael Calvin (contributor)

From the head coach of the United States Women’s National Team and legendary coach of Chelsea FC comes a book of hard-won lessons for leading a team to success on and off the field
 
Few places will test your leadership skills more than the global soccer stage. For more than twenty years, Emma Hayes has led her teams to championship after championship, coaching her players through personal and professional setbacks, and becoming a powerful advocate for women in sports.
 
Available for the first time in print, A Completely Different Game shares Hayes’s inspirational, innately human approach to fulfilling the potential of those around her. Beginning with her upbringing in Camden and ending with her move to the US National Team, Hayes takes us through the events that shaped her and the critical leadership lessons she learned along the way. She also lays bare the difficulties that came with managing a women’s sports team in an industry designed for and catered to men, and makes a clear, actionable, and urgent call for equity in sports.
 
Generous, authoritative, and grounded in lived experience, A Completely Different Game will help you lead with heart, strength, and authenticity no matter what challenge you’re facing.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Soccer, Memoir, Leadership, Womens

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 23, 2024

Reviews

[Fay Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into Emma and what it really takes to be a top class manager. Hated the Americanised English spelling, but that could be because I got the wrong version.

[Judethmc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes it's about football but it's also about so much more in terms of leadership and the way to leave your life true to yourself. Most of the way through I was making a mental list of all the people who would be getting a copy for birthdays or Christmas. And for the record Arsenal are the only team !

[Royalkeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know a lot of people that are going to receive this book from me for Christmas. Timely life lessons from a soccer/football context. We all know Emma is a legend. Now we know why.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have selected " A Completely Different Game" as Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 8/11, as it stands heads above other recently published books on this topic.

[Trintje · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kind of read like it was written by ChatGPT but Emma Hayes is a legend so still a solid 3 star read.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to drop everything and go work for Emma Hayes. She’s doing so much for the women’s game – and women’s health research in general. They’re doing extensive research on how ACL injuries might correlate with menstrual cycles. One of my favorite things she says is that “women are not small men”. She is reevaluating how women play, which formations they use, how they warm up and how they load manage. I would love to be a fly on the wall for a month in the US training facility. She’s revolutionizing how the organization is structured. Recognizing that she couldn’t be everything for everyone – she created a new role, Program Director, that among other things, manages any issues that arise for the staff – freeing Emma up to focus on the players. She’s been at this for quite a long time, and it was very interesting to read about the philosophy she developed, and the observations she deemed worthy of mentioning. I look forward to her tenure as the US head coach.

[Jessica Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this! I had never had occasion to think about any differences between coaching men vs. women. The science about how the menstrual cycle affects athletic performance and vulnerability to injury was not surprising but was nonetheless eye-opening to me. Emma Hayes seems thoughtful and warm and down-to-earth while also pretty cutthroat and matter-of-fact so it makes complete sense why she is so highly valued and sought after as a coach.

[Hannah Hartnett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Emma Hayes, Chelsea, and the USWNT. I would have loved to read about her life/experience with those teams, but not her leadership principles. I guess I mistakenly took this for a memoir. The organization was arbitrary and it was clearly written by someone else, her voice didn’t shine through. Some good anecdotes but not nearly enough

[Kelly Colabianchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thought-provoking! It took me a long time to read though because it was so much information. Felt like a lecture in a way or a reading I would have done for a college course. I read a little bit each night. Great read for anyone in any leadership role.

[Cybbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m such a sucker for all things sports. We are so lucky to have Emma Hayes leading the USWNT. This book was packed with loud truths that Emma makes so relatable. I’m grateful she shared this part of her story with us.

[Graciela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. I was looking for the behind the scenes in women´s football and there is plenty, also of course about the work of a coach. Well written.

[Kara Stepp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good stories

This book has some really interesting stories and insights, but the writing is choppy and the sudden change in topics disorienting.

[Holly Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Emma’s experiences and management strategies. It was a great insight into her world and the future of women in football.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed.

[Carrie Craft Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am stingy with my 5-star reviews. I really enjoyed this thorough and clear-headed leadership advice.

[Becky Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly a great leader. Style of the book accident chopping but the messaging was spot on. Emma is very much a girls girl who lives in a place of abundance.

[TheMothmanReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pressure is a privilege.

[Amanda Cadorette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I genuinely love Emma Hayes and think she is such a force in the soccer world (women’s and men’s). However, I do not think this book was written very well.

[Quinn Torgerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

very very good. didn’t know what to expect, but this was solid.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly useful insights- particularly for women beginning leadership roles.

[Lidia Rodin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by Emma Hayes. I thought it was an interesting look into her mind as a manager and also as a person. She cares about the “right” things when it comes to football, and people in general. This book really humanizes her, and makes you look past some of the noise that surrounds her.

As a young coach I always like to get my hands on books that managers and coaches have written and if you’re looking for something that you can pull ideas from, this is a book for you.

[Travis Wyant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leadership from a woman’s perspective with a focus on coaching women. Something my reading has lacked significantly. I loved the insights and directness from Emma, she doesn’t mince words. Not much on her tactics, but a ton on how she builds and organization and how she balances Emma the person and Emma the coach.