The 2025 Women’s Euro became quite the phenomenon in the US. Despite having no horse in that race, 1.355 million US soccer fans tuned in for the Euro final between England and Spain, setting a viewership record. Is this the Emma Hayes Effect because she’s British? That could certainly be part of it, but the Euros also revealed Hayes’s connection with an iconic soccer film.
So what do Hayes, the Euros, and 2002’s Bend It Like Beckham have in common? Director Gurinder Chadha. “I am so happy to be here in Basel for the Euros, the atmosphere is amazing,” the filmmaker told The Guardian. However, the real bombshell was that the 65-year-old is finally working on the much-awaited sequel to her iconic movie. And that’s where Hayes comes in.
No, the USWNT coach won’t be starring in the sequel, but she’ll be a part of it. Chadha explained that after watching everything Emma Hayes has been doing for women’s soccer, she couldn’t help but reach out. She brought on the coach as a “collaborator,” as she works on the script. Meanwhile, Hayes revealed the emotional, chance encounter that kicked off this collaboration.
“I met Gurinder at a chance meeting in Cannes in June. It felt like the stars aligned for us to meet. I told her the massive impact the film had had on me when I was younger and that I was Keira Knightley in Bend It Like Beckham. I cried in the cinema watching the film because I felt just like Jess and Jules,” Hayes told the Guardian about her encounter with the director.
This story is developing…
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