Tihana Nemcic is getting plenty of attention since her appointment as the head coach of a fifth division side, NK Viktorija Vojakovac. The part time model is the first woman coach that has taken charge of a men's team anywhere in the world.
You may think it's a joke, given her age and looks. Nemcic is just 24 and a very attractive lady. She was a finalist for the title of 'Miss Croatia Sport' in 2008. You should see how male fans stared at her at the sideline. Perhaps, that in itself maybe a distraction for her and equally for the young men in the team. But Tihomir jagusic, one of the player in Nemcic team, only has praises for the young female manager, "she is very good, focused and serious during training... We listen to her tactical prowess and since she took charge, the team has began to get some decent results."
Nemcic has insisted that her position as a head coach in a men's team is not a publicity stunt, "if a woman and man have the same professional qualifications for a coaching job, I see no reason why I shouldn't get into men's football." Well, she couldn't help the media spotlight on her and the team since the appointment.
While Nemcic wants to be treated as an equal, there are situations where being a woman means taking extra precautions, like the dressing room. "I would never put myself in the situation to walk in on them inside the dressing room. We have a rule. Boys go in to change, when they are through, one of them comes out and call me in."
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Indeed, Nemcic has broken the limit. At her young age, she has both skill and experience to deliver. She is an ex-player of Dinamo Zagreb. She had also played for the Croatia women's team. She recently graduated from the country's sporting university. She has successfully managed several Kids' team. Although, Nemcic is the first woman to work at this level, she has all it takes to succeed. "I am the head coach and I have full liberty to create and plan the team's tactics, irrespective of the gender difference." And she is doing just that.
How did a beautiful lady get involved in the men's game. Nemcic said she became interested in the sport through her football-playing boyfriend, "I was watching him play, how he played... and then I began to play myself and it has become part of me to this very day... I played most times with boys and the gender thing fade away anytime I get involved in the sport."
Nemcic' record breaking appointment maybe an inspiration for more women to take up coaching profession and indeed, jobs in men's teams.
