Manisha Tailor was recently appointed as both Head Coach of the Singapore Under-19 Women’s National Team and Women’s Coach Developer at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). And she believes that the right mix of inspiration, commitment and belief, can drive greater development in the women’s game here
She replaces Fazrul Nawaz who left the FAS after leading the U19s to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers earlier this year.
While working with the U19s to ensure they are ready to make the step up to the senior National Team is an important facet of Singapore’s women’s football, it is Tailor’s other role that could make the bigger difference in the long run.
This is the first time the FAS has created a dedicated role focusing on the development of women coaches.
Photo Courtesy of Manisha Tailor
Tailor brings two decades of experience in education and football with her. Having started as a teacher and later serving as a Deputy Head Teacher in the United Kingdom (UK), although she began community coaching in 2002, it was in 2011 that she took a career change to embark upon football coaching as a profession.
Since then, she has built a career that spans women’s and men’s professional pathways, working with Middlesex Girls Centre of Excellence, the England Women’s Under-15s, Tottenham Hotspur Women’s College Under-21s, academy roles at English Championship side, Queens Park Rangers and a scouting role at Brentford – playing in the English Premier League. She also holds the UEFA A Licence and the English FA’s Advanced Youth Award, underlining her credentials in both youth and elite football.
For Tailor, being the FAS’ first Women’s Coach Developer is “both an honour and a privilege and signifies the commitment to want to reshape women’s coach development in Singapore.”
She believes that role-modelling and visibility are vital, adding that these are “key to inspiring young girls and women to believe that football is a sport for them as well as being aspirational in their pursuit of football beyond the pitch.”
Photo Courtesy of Manisha Tailor
Tailor’s remit in Singapore extends beyond coaching players to supporting the coaching community, and she has already begun conversations with local coaches, sometimes combining mentoring with her scouting work.
“At a recent Women’s Premier League (WPL) game, although I was taking player observations for the U-19s National Team, I also had the opportunity to have in-depth pre- and post-match conversations with the coach,” she explained.
“This is merely a starting point, as I know everyone appreciates that the female coaching pool is small and my work at present involves finding who we do have from grassroots, schools to coaching at academy-club level and how we can provide focused support.”
A major priority is widening the talent pool. To address this, Tailor has adapted the Emerging Talent Programme. Sitting outside of the core U19 National Team camps, the initiative is designed to support high-potential players aged 15–19 who may not currently be part of the national pathway. It also retains current U19s, while providing opportunities for players who have aged out of the U19 bracket but are not yet ready for Senior A level.
The pilot programme is being run this week (8 to 12 September), with 20 young female players already taking part. Tailor says its purpose is twofold: to provide a technical focus that helps players refine their skills for use in club or school environments, and to serve as a platform for identifying players who could progress to national camp trials.
“Development is not linear,” she stressed.
“I have seen players who at 12 years old were not perceived as ready, but at 18 earned full-time professional club scholarships and now earn a career from football.”
Participation numbers in the first week have already shown promise, and Tailor plans to review the pilot before scheduling at least two further programmes in 2026. The timeline for the full rollout is still being firmed up, but Tailor acknowledges the importance of building momentum to not only retain players but also expand Singapore’s long-term player and coaching pool.
For Tailor, success is not just about short-term results but about building equitable pathways, nurturing future coaches, and instilling a strong sense of purpose in young players.
On the pitch, she is clear about her approach.
“My philosophy is focused on an individual player-centred approach that focuses on a strength-based development programme,” she said, emphasising that the spirit of the approach is critical and in this spirit perhaps lies one of the most important facets that can drive women’s football to the next level.
“Elite standards and elite behaviours are non-negotiable,” said Tailor, who demands that players must ask themselves the difficult questions if they want to grow
“You have to stand for something, you have to have that one thing that intrinsically motivates you. If you find that, change is inevitable.”
