In July 2025 ahead of the start of this current season, Tottenham Hotspur put pen to paper on appointing Martin Ho as their head coach ahead of their seventh campaign in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The 35-year-old Englishman became just the third person to take on the role full-time at the club, and has so far been enjoying an incredibly good debut campaign with Spurs.
Born in Liverpool, Martin Ho’s footballing career started at a young age, and a transition to coaching was already on his mind from when he began his coaching badges at the early age of 17-years-old.
The first role he took on in coaching saw him spend two years in the boys academy at Everton, until he then moved across to the Women & Girls side in 2015. He worked there having been appointed as an assistant manager to work with Andy Spence across three seasons, and it was within that timeframe that Everton went back up to the WSL after winning the WSL Spring Series League.
He would swap the blue half of Merseyside for the red half when he joined Liverpool in 2018 as their Technical Director. This meant Martin Ho oversaw the club’s youth set-up, and he helped create a programme which would aid development in carving out a pathway for academy players to help with their transition towards senior football. Many players involved have since went on to become regulars at clubs in the WSL today.
He went back into coaching in January 2020 as he was offered the chance to join Manchester United as an assistant coach under then head coach Casey Stoney. While working with her, Manchester United had two consecutive fourth-place finishes. When Stoney departed the club, Martin Ho would stay at Man Utd in his role as assistant coach when Marc Skinner was appointed in July 2021.
Martin Ho was seen as an integral part of that backroom staff under Marc Skinner in the early part of his tenure, with United finishing in fourth place once again in the Barclays WSL and challenging in other cup competitions as well. The following 2022/23 campaign saw United end the season with their best-ever finish up to that point. They had finished second in the league and made the Women’s FA Cup Final—which they lost to Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.
With his reputation building up, he then looked to take the next step in his coaching career and go into management when heading over to Norway. SK Brann appointed Martin Ho as their head coach midway through that year’s Toppserien campaign, which was a few months after the 2022/23 Barclays WSL season had concluded.
Ho helped SK Brann rediscover some form to end that campaign after finishing with seven wins from his first nine in charge. He led the Norwegian club to a history-making achievement in navigating qualification to the group stages of the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the first time. They would even then make it past the group stages and into the quarter-finals, before coming up against FC Barcelona and losing 5-2 on aggregate across the two legs.
His first full league season with SK Brann saw them finish in second place to earn Champions League qualification once again, and the following season would see Martin Ho’s Brann go on an impressive 11-game unbeaten run. However, it was midway through the 2025 campaign which he would then receive the opportunity to move to N17 and become Tottenham’s head coach.
It has been a considerable turnaround at Tottenham in comparison to last season’s finish, and with some good consistency shown in their performances, they could now target a highest ever points finish in the Women’s Super League. From what we have seen of them under Martin Ho, the identity he has helped set up has allowed them to maximise their opportunities, and do so in a manner that is very much their own.
“We like to do things our own way and create a very clear fabric of what we're about as a club. And I like to make sure the players know that they are supported, they‘re trusted, but more importantly, they're valued.”
“The biggest strengths of the squad are the hard work and the work ethic. The commitment, the effort, the technical detail of how we play. The willingness to learn, but more importantly, the persistence with what we do. They set us out as key strengths.”
Players at Tottenham have been able to thrive under his dynamic, attacking style of play. The development of players has long been something that he has utilised and prioritised in his coaching career, and it is his support for many of those at the club that has allowed them to reap the benefits of what he has implemented at Tottenham in such a short space of time.
Much of that also has an impact off the pitch as well in creating a positive environment for everybody involved with the club. One of Tottenham’s youngest squad members, Lenna Gunning Williams, has described the environment in a positive manner and credits the head coach for his instant impact.
“I feel like it's a very homely place to be. I feel like we've got quite a family environment here, which is very important to me. And I just feel really safe and heard here.”
“I think Martin's great. I think he's got a real passionate side to him. He's really trying to achieve something big this season.”
Ambition and a clear aim of moving forward has been driving Martin Ho in this first season with Tottenham. The Englishman has guided a squad that has seen a lot of new signings over the last six months, and already early signs are being produced which show how capable they can be of competing high up in England’s top-flight.
Spurs sit currently in fifth place with a record of nine wins, two draws and five wins, sitting four points off the top three in the league at this moment in time. The ambition of competing in the Women’s Champions League is a big target that Martin Ho and Tottenham will continuously look to strive towards.