English female coach Kaminski reaping rewards in Norway

When English manager Laura Kaminski was approached to become the head coach of Norwegian club SK Brann in January, she could not turn it down.

She jumped at the opportunity to move abroad and develop her coaching skills and is even competing for a place in the Europa Cup quarter-finals next Wednesday.

It was a decision that paid off as 10 months later, she is celebrating a Norwegian league and cup double after a dream debut season.

"My time in the city [of Bergen] has been brilliant," the 38-year-old told BBC Sport.

"I can't go to the supermarket at the minute because so many people are stopping me to wish me congratulations, which is so nice.

"I'm over the moon and it was nice to get the title done before the last game so we can relax. I thought it was going to go right to the wire.

"It's been a competitive year. I've enjoyed every minute. We had a great night with all our fans, who were waiting for us to return from Oslo."

65 flights and games in the Arctic Circle

Kaminski described it as a "hectic" year as she moved from London to Norway and away from her family to take on the Brann job.

The Englishwoman had spent over a year at Crystal Palace, where she led them to promotion to the Women's Super League in 2024.

She was sacked in February 2025 after a tough WSL season as Palace struggled to compete with better financially-backed clubs.

However, she is regarded as one of the country's brightest female managers and has added to her CV with her experiences in Norway.

"I've learned a lot. It's been chaotic - I counted that I have taken 65 flights in 11 months - so it's been exhausting, but what an experience!" added Kaminski.

"To go all the way up to the Arctic Circle and play away [games] in freezing cold conditions with horizontal snow, to beautiful days in Bergen.

"Palace was totally different to Brann. I'm at a club that expects to win the Toppserien [the Norwegian top-flight] as they believe they have invested the most.

"That's been a real challenge. The WSL is dominated by the favourites in the pack so it wasn't always the expectation to get three points against big teams [at Palace]."

Kaminski admits being away from loved ones is "hard" and she has had to be prepared to "make sacrifices" but Brann's trophy success makes it worth it.

She has also picked up new ideas for her coaching philosophy having experienced the high-risk, attack-minded football in Norway.

"Norwegian teams are almost guaranteed to concede every game because they play such attacking football with no fear, and a relentlessness to press," she added.

"That is a bit different to what I was used to. When I watched the tactical displays when I first came in, I was a little bit alarmed at what people were doing.

"But when you play against their sides, and against that [pressing], it is really difficult. It's given me a lot of fuel for the future.

"There are some really fit, fast and athletic players here. It's not a surprise that big, big clubs are coming in for them."

Female coaches in men's football 'not out of reach'

After a season in Norway, Kaminski believes she is a better coach.

She had spent over 15 years as an assistant manager at various clubs in the WSL 2 and WSL and a coaching role with England's under-19s before joining Palace.

But having added European experience to her CV, Kaminski hopes it will open the door to more opportunities in the future.

"I'd like to think I've got a well-rounded skillset to be able to manage at the top level. Right now, my focus is on Brann and a new chapter," said Kaminski.

"There's only two levels in England that are professional. I definitely wanted to get European exposure, which I was never going to get in England.

"At the time, I was in discussions with a few clubs but it was things that I'd done before, or the project wasn't matching.

"I knew that when I came to Brann, I was going to coach top-level players. I wanted to be at the top of the competition and I was desperate to win a trophy."

Kaminski has urged other female coaches in England to go abroad and gain experience as she believes opportunities are too few in the WSL.

A study from UK Coaching in October showed there has been a 6% decline in the overall number of female coaches in recent years.

There are currently three English female coaches in the WSL - Jo Potter at Crystal Palace, Amy Merricks at Birmingham City and Karen Hills at Charlton Athletic - and they all came up with promoted clubs this summer.

But Kaminski says she is "concerned" about where they might go next and hopes more opportunities in English men's football will open up soon.

"I ended up leaving the country to go and get what I thought I deserved and had earned the right to work in, in terms of the level," said Kaminski.

"There's more than one female out there that's capable [of working in men's football]. I don't think it's out of reach. I would always, certainly, be open to it.

"At the moment, for me, there's not enough consideration even for that opportunity to be given to female managers who are more than capable.

"I think the foundations are there for females to take the plunge but is the world of football ready? I'm unsure."