Hayes took over as the Blues' manager all the way back in 2012, following the departure of Matt Beard. In the years that have followed, she has transformed Chelsea into the dominant force in English football, guiding them to six Women's Super League titles.
However, before tasting this success, Hayes enjoyed an interesting start to life at Kingsmeadow. Speaking on the latest episode of Box to Box, she revealed how she travelled to the club's Cobham-based training ground on her scooter.
"First day, I don't know this for sure, but I might have driven my moped from Camden to Cobham. I got there at 10 o'clock in the morning and the guy I was supposed to meet wasn't there yet. And I started walking down the long drive to where the women's section was," she said.
"There was nobody on site, bar security. All I kept thinking was: 'oh my goodness, look at the potential here, it's got everything. If I can put it all together maybe we can create a world-class team here'.
"We didn't have a building. We didn't have an office. We didn't have a desk. In fact, we probably didn't even have a bag of balls."
Hayes went on to outline the three-stage approach she's adopted for turning the Blues into the best team in the country. After taking over, she first focussed on setting up a recruitment network and playing style. Next, the club built a world-class squad and, finally, she manufactured a winning mentality.
Hayes' led Chelsea to a WSL and FA Cup double last season, with the Blues beating Manchester United 1-0 in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley. The 2023-24 campaign is looking similarly promising.
Although Chelsea have said farewell to long-serving pair Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder, Hayes has strengthened her squad with the signings of Catarina Macario, Ashley Lawrence and Sjoeke Nusken.
Check out the full episode of Box to Box by heading over the official GOAL YouTube channel.
