Mexico's Ana Galindo: "That reaction of 'I can do it now' excites me the most"

When she was eleven, Ana Galindo's boy team-mates told her to stop playing football. She went on to represent Mexico as a player, and is currently coach of Mexico's U-20 women's team. This conversation was filmed when the FIFA Training Centre visited the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) in March 2022, when Galindo was coach of Mexico's U-17s. In it, she explains the challenges of making it as an elite player and how it took time for her to find her calling in football coaching. She ends by revealing her game philosophy, which stresses the importance of effort and sticking together.

Throughout the interview Galindo reveals three core principles regarding her role: 

• Leading her team by example.

• Developing a playing style in which her team is aggressive, penetrates the opposition box, and is competitive regardless of the opposition.

• Tailoring her training session to what her team actually needs.

Part 1: From desk to dugout
In the first part of the interview, Ana Galindo talks about her fledgling coaching career. She took up coaching at the age of 30, and within five years she had traded an office job and a degree in Design for a place in the dugout with Mexico's women's U-17 side. She also reveals how her time outside of football has helped her coaching technique and what she loves most about being on the training ground.

Part 2: An uphill battle
Galindo's playing career was hampered by a lack of women's teams and resources. She was eventually spotted playing in a trial against the senior national side, which led to her being called-up to the senior squad at the tender age of 15. She also went on to represent the newly-formed U-17 and U-19 sides, all while combining her football with her university studies.

Part 3: Mexico's football environment
Galindo then moves on to the current state of women's football in her homeland. She begins by comparing her first steps in football to the pathway that has been created for current players, before setting out exactly how the talent development system has changed in recent years and outlining the biggest challenges currently facing the women's game. Finally, she explains how the Mexican national championship has affected women's football in the country.

Part 4: Galindo's take on coaching
To finish, Galindo elaborates on her personal approach to coaching, giving her views on the attributes players need to reach the top of the game and how coaches can set an example for them to follow. She then describes her football philosophy, highlighting the importance of playing exciting, attacking football, working as a team, and building from solid defensive foundations.