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England men's coach Gareth Southgate wants more women involved in backroom staff

England men's national team coach Gareth Southgate has said there are not enough women involved in his side's backroom staff.

Southgate acknowledged that the FA has become better with gender equality but questioned why only two women were part of his setup with England.

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Speaking at the Royal Television Society's Cambridge Convention, Southgate said: "I coach my daughter's team and there's a real enthusiasm for it.

"I think that's different to where we are currently in terms of diversity of staff within the game. We haven't got that right with my team.

"We've got some women that work with the team but we haven't got enough. We've got a staff of 40, so that's nowhere near where we should be."

He added: "Within the FA we are actually very diverse, gender wise, with 38% female, I think. But as my daughter said to me: 'Oh, that's good is it, Dad?' I had to say: 'Good point.'

"For me that's a great reminder. What world do I want for my daughter? What opportunities do I want for my daughter?

"That very quickly changes your outlook on the way that you view women's sport and the way you view opportunities for women within our sport."

Southgate also said that he is excited by the growth and future prospects of the women's game with Euro 2021 to be held in England next summer.

It was also announced on Thursday that the Lionesses will be take part in a new women's international tournament with Germany and Spain confirmed as competitors for the 2022 edition.

"I meet dads who proudly come up and say: 'My daughter plays football.' Five years ago that didn't happen," Southgate added.

"I don't know if that's because the girls weren't playing or the dads weren't proud they were playing. It's far more acceptable for girls to play now, there's more teams and clubs. Dads are now excited by that."

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