Aston Villa manager Carla Ward says player-coach relationships are ‘unacceptable’ and should be a sackable offence.

Leicester suspended manager Willie Kirk last week over an alleged relationship with a player while Sheffield United sacked Jonathan Morgan for the same reasons in February.

The issues of player-coach relationships was raised in Mail Sport’s women’s football column on Monday and Ward admitted the issue makes her angry.

‘It makes me very angry because we’re here to set an environment, a comfortable place that people come to work, where they feel safe, where they feel backed, where they feel looked after. I just don’t understand anyone who crosses that line. The game is professionalised.

Aston Villa manager Carla Ward has said that player-coach relationships make her ‘angry’ and are ‘unacceptable’

Leicester Women manager Willie Kirk has been suspended over an alleged relationship with a player

Kirk did not take charge of his side’s FA Cup quarter-final win against Liverpool on Saturday

‘When you talk about where does the line get drawn, I think it’s very simple, when the game got professionalised, you can’t cross that line.

‘There’s talk of pre-professionalised, there was a social aspect. When I was a player, it was a very social aspect but now we’re talking about levels that it’s parent teacher in my opinion. You can’t do it.’

Asked whether it should be a sackable offence, Ward replied: ‘Yes.’

Ward, who has been with Villa since 2021, also referenced the lack of reporting mechanisms in place in the women’s game.

Ward said the ‘biggest problem’ is the lack of reporting mechanisms in the women’s game

‘That is the biggest problem in my opinion,’ Ward continued.

‘I feel really strongly about it. Essentially, if you’re the manager and you’re crossing that line it’s very difficult for anyone to report it.

‘Yes you can at some clubs, of course, but it does become difficult. It’s a complete abuse of power. We’re in a moment right now where there’s a microscope on the women’s game, I think people have taken advantage of certain positions, I don’t like that, I don’t think it’s right.

‘It’s tough, I was talking to players about this over breakfast because it’s everywhere and everyone wants to talk about it, and there’s a question mark of: first and foremost I don’t even know how you get yourself in a position where you can cross that line, in the position we’re in, the day to day running, I just don’t know how you get yourself in that position.

‘One person said, “Oh, you know, nights out” but you shouldn’t be on a night out with the players quite honestly. I don’t know how it happens, it shouldn’t happen.

‘It becomes very difficult for someone to report a head coach or a manager, or a general manager or director of football, because let’s be honest, it’s not just managers and head coaches is it.

‘You know that a director of football, the top level, general manager, sporting director, whatever, and they have done wrong or are doing wrong, and you know that, and then a head coach or manager does it.

‘You can’t possibly go to that person because the first thing they’re going to do is rip up your contract. I’ve seen it. When I was a player, I saw this a lot, I didn’t play when it was professionalised, but I’ve been in environments, I’ve seen it, I’ve heard it, everyone knows I’ve got good relationships with players and you hear it all the time, it infuriates me. The only way to clear the game up is to highlight it and get rid of it.’

Ward said ‘it’s not just managers and head coaches’ meaning it is hard for players to report anything necessary

Kirk joined Leicester in July 2022 before taking over as manager in November of that year

Mail Sport has been told of several past and current relationships between managers and players in the women’s game. Some are between men and women, some are between two women.

Some took place before the women’s game became professional while others are more recent. Some are not reportable for legal reasons.

There can also be issues over whether players or coaches have not publicly disclosed their sexuality.

Asked about the differences between relationships that took place before the women’s game became professional, Ward added: ‘How do you differentiate? If the relationship started pre the game being professional… if you look at grassroots now it probably happens all the time, can you stop that from a social aspect? No. You could argue some Championship clubs aren’t professional and that’s where the grey area is I guess.

‘Most of them are but they’ve only just become professional, but let’s be honest, the Championship is a professional league. It shouldn’t be happening there or in the WSL. The top two divisions in England, if we want to be taken seriously, it shouldn’t happen.’

Sheffield United sacked Jonathan Morgan for the same reasons in February as the issue continues in the game

Ward was finally asked whether there should be a rule written into manager’s contracts around relationships.

‘Come on, it’s an unwritten rule,’ Ward said.

‘I’m sure teachers don’t have it in their contracts. It’s an unwritten rule, there’s a lot of unwritten rules in life that people don’t cross. But given where we are now and that some people don’t seem to understand that unwritten rule, then yeah, maybe put it in black and white so it’s clear.’

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall, meanwhile, said relationships are ‘inappropriate for a number of reasons’

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall, meanwhile, added: ‘I think it’s very inappropriate for a number of reasons. I think it’s a clear no with relationship between player and manager.

‘I think if you look at women’s football and when you look in the past – and there’s no doubt if you look and you read the NWSL reports, for example – there are major issues within the game, and there have been in the past as well. [This] probably, unfortunately, tells you that there still are issues in some places.

‘That concerns me from a player welfare perspective and I absolutely think that governing bodies, leagues, clubs and associations need to be strong on that because I do think it’s very inappropriate and I think it goes out over the player welfare which is very, very sad.’