Gemma Grainger is making history as the only English head coach at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 and she’s doing it from the sidelines of Norway’s national team.
Eighteen months after taking the job, the 42-year-old Middlesbrough native is preparing to guide Norway into Europe’s biggest stage for women’s football. She’s not just representing her new team she’s also the face of a coaching shift that values empathy, clarity, and conviction over theatrics.
“This is something I’ve worked for my whole career,” Grainger said in Oslo ahead of the tournament. “I feel proud to lead this group. They’ve given me the opportunity, and I want to give them success in return.”
Grainger previously worked with England’s Lionesses and later managed Wales. But she made the leap to Norway in January 2024, stepping into a team that was still recovering from internal discontent following the 2023 World Cup.
Norway’s football federation didn’t initially have her in mind when they began their search for a new head coach. “She wasn’t on our first list,” admitted federation president Lise Klaveness. “We added her to ensure we were considering women in the process. But when she interviewed, we saw her depth and connection with the game.”
Grainger’s coaching style stands out. She doesn’t raise her voice in the locker room. Instead, she builds a foundation of mutual respect and player leadership.
“It’s about taking care of people,” she said. “When they arrive, I want them to feel they can be themselves. And when they leave, I want them eager to come back.”
That approach has resonated with players like captain Ada Hegerberg. “She’s very empathetic and sees the human first,” Hegerberg said. “It’s been refreshing.”
Defender Guro Bergsvand echoed that sentiment: “She’s calm, she’s clear about what she wants, and she cares. She’s not the type to scream but she gets results.”
Grainger’s path to Oslo started with Leeds United in 2010. She later coached across England’s youth ranks and assisted Mark Sampson during the 2017 Euros, where England reached the semifinals.
She became head coach of Wales in 2021 and nearly led them to their first World Cup. When Norway called in 2024, she accepted without hesitation.
Now, she faces her biggest challenge. Norway’s women were once world champions in 1995. They also won two European titles and Olympic gold in 2000. But recent tournaments haven’t gone well. They haven’t reached a major final since 2013 and exited early from the last two Euros, including an 8-0 group-stage loss to England in 2022.
Under Grainger, Norway qualified for this year’s Euros by defeating Northern Ireland 7-0 on aggregate. They placed second behind France in their Nations League group and now face Switzerland, Finland, and Iceland in Group A.
“The expectation is to get out of the group,” Grainger said. “We’re taking it one game at a time. The margins in women’s football are tighter than ever.”
Despite the pressure, Grainger says she feels at home in Norway. She splits time between Oslo and England, and while she admits her Norwegian isn’t perfect yet, she’s embraced the culture fully.
“I’ve loved the last 18 months,” she said. “The lifestyle, the people, the football it’s all been incredible.”
If Norway reaches the semifinals, Grainger may face her old team, England or even Wales. But she’s focused on the present.
“Right now, this is where I belong,” she said. “But one day, who knows?”
For now, Grainger stands alone an English coach leading a proud football nation back toward its former heights.
