The League Managers Association (LMA) says more than 200 managers and coaching staff were fired from their positions during the just concluded 2025/26 English football season amid a growing hire and fire culture.

According to the LMA statistics, which covers the top four men’s leagues and the top two women’s divisions, managers in the Premier League and English championship are staying at their jobs for one of the shortest time in history. 

During the past season, nine Premier League managers were sacked, amounting to an average tenure of 0.89 years, the shortest period of time in the LMA’s records as far back as the 2013-14 campaign.

Data showed that 51 coaches were dismissed across the top men’s four leagues in the 2025/26 campaign, marking the fourth highest number recorded in the last two decades. 

Meanwhile, managers and coaches who parted ways with their club on mutual agreement, including former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and ex-Burnley boss Scott Parker were not included in the statistics. 

Andoni Iraola, who departed Bournemouth following expiration of his contract and Pep Guardiola, who decided to quit earlier than when his contract was supposed to expire were also not taken into consideration.

On the women’s side, five Women’s Super League managers with an average tenure of 2.12 years were sacked by their employers, while there were four dismissals in the WSL2. The average tenure of the dismissed coaches was 4.14 years.

“Certainly in my 18-19 years the hire and fire culture that’s ever-present definitely undermines the profession,” LMA chief Richard Bevan Bevan said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He added, “When you look at short-termism, compare it to the way Man City, Arsenal, Bournemouth, Newcastle and many other clubs look at investing time and trust in their managers.

“Longevity to managers, the same in many industries and people listening this morning, is the best recipe for success.”