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Gender Equality in CoachingInteractive Tool Kit

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Strengthening Coaching with the Objective to Raise Equality‘Strengthening Coaching with the Objective to Raise Equality’ (SCORE) is a European project supported by the Erasmus+ Programme, led by the European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation (ENGSO), which promotes equal opportunities, namely gender equality in coaching, and focuses on increasing the number of employed and volunteer women coaches at all levels of sport, as well as enhancing knowledge on gender equality in coach education. The project is targeted at sports and coaching organisations at all levels, more specifically coaches, trainers, former athletes, volunteers and decision makers in the field of coaching.

Objectives • To promote gender equality in coaching• To promote the representation of employed and volunteer women coaches in the coaching workforce• To increase the number of women coaches by creating tools to support women coaches to develop towards the coaching of high performance• To include evidence-based information about gender and gender equality in coach education appropriate to all levels

92375

Tel: +32 27 38 03 25

Email: info@score-coaching.eu

European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation (ENGSO)

52, avenue de Cortenbergh, B – 1000 Bruxelles

sports coach UK Chelsea Close

Off Amberley Road Armley

Leeds LS12 4HP

Tel: 0113-274 4802 Fax: 0113-231 9606

Email: coaching@sportscoachuk.org Website: www.sportscoachuk.org

Tool Kit Work Package Leader

© SCORE Project/ENGSO, 2016This resource is copyright under the Berne Convention. All rights are reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, no part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Cover photo © sports coach UK

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A Guide to Using this Tool Kit

You will see the tool kit is broken down into four separate sections:

• Plan

• Recruit

• Develop

• Retain.

Each section contains:

• aflowcharttoprovideyouwithanoverviewofthecontentsofthesection

• information and guidance

• links to external documents and further information contained within the Additional Information Folder

• a‘cloud’pagetohelpyougatheryourthoughtsandunderstandwhatstepsyoucanmaketowardschange.

Throughout the project we have collected as much information as possible from the SCORE partner countries. We thank all our partners for their support in creating this content.

What next for you?Changehappensthroughaseriesofsmallsteps.Onceyouhavereadthroughthisinformationmakeaplanonwhatchangesyoucanmakewithinyourownorganisation.Werecognisethatsomeofthisinformationwillbemorerelevanttoyouthanotherparts,butwehopethatyoucontinuetorefertoitasyoucreateyournewcoachingstrategies over time.

WithintheAdditionalInformationFolderyouwillseesomeexamplesofhowSCOREpartnercountriesaredevelopinggenderequalityintheircoachingsystems.Thesegiveyoupracticalideasonthedifferenttopicsexplainedinthetoolkit,andcanbeveryusefulinyourworktobringaboutchange.

Wewishyouallthebestforcreatinggenderequalityinyourcoachingsystems.

Kind regards

The SCORE team

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Table of Contents Additional Information Folder

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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An Introduction to SCORE

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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Whydoweneedmorewomenincoaching?

ItistheambitionoftheEUthatby2020:

• womenshouldmakeup40%ofthecoachingworkforce

• womenshouldmakeup30%ofallnationalteamcoaches

• evidence-basedknowledgeaboutgenderandgenderequalityshouldbeincludedin coach education at all levels.*

From the Baseline Data (see Additional Information Folder) this programme has collatedthroughtheSCOREprogramme,wecanseethereisalotofworktodo.

Forthepurposeofthistoolkit,theInternationalCouncilforCoachingExcellence(ICCE)definescoachingas‘aprocessofguidedimprovementanddevelopmentinasinglesportandatidentifiablestagesofdevelopment’.

Coachingisstillrecognisedasagenderedrole,dominatedbymen.Stereotypessuchas‘womenarethebestcoachesforyoungchildren’or‘womenshouldn’tcoachmen’aresocialbarrierstodevelopingacareerinsport,butthesearen’ttheonlybarriers in place.

Womenshouldhaveequalopportunitiestoinstructorcoachthesportorphysicalactivityoftheirchoice.Thesportsectorcouldincreasewomen’sskillsandknowledge,whichmakesthemmoreemployableinsportandthewiderlabourmarket.Bydoingthisthesectorcouldalsobenefitfrommorewomencoaches,asthereisalackofcoachesingeneral,butmorefemalecoachescouldalsoleadtomorewomenbeingphysicallyactiveinsport.Duetotheirownpersonalpreferences,culturaltraditionsorreligiousbeliefs,somewomenfeelmorecomfortable with female coaches.

Amoreinclusivecoachingworkforcemayalsostarttoattractwomenfrom under-representedbackgrounds(egmigrants,peoplewithadisability)toparticipateinsportorbeinvolvedinacoachingrole,butalsoindevelopment/executiveroles.It is important that male and female coaches are gender sensitive in their practice. A largerfocusisnecessaryonthecontentofthecoachingroleitself;forexample,thedevelopmentofdifferentandnewcoachingstylesandpracticeswhichmayattractnotonlymoregirlsandwomenintosport,butalsomoreboysandmen.Itcouldbeanticipatedthatgendersensitivityandmorefemalecoacheswillleadtoareductioninsexualharassmentandabuse,whichunfortunatelyalsooccursinsport.

© F

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Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

*TakenfromtheGenderEqualityinSport,ProposalforStrategicActions,http://ec.europa.eu/sport/events/2013/documents/20131203-gender/final-proposal-1802_en.pdfpublishedbytheEU(February,2014)

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The benefits of gender equality in coaching

Itisbecomingincreasinglyrecognisedthatamorediverseworkforcebringsmanybenefitstoanorganisation.Whyshouldsportbeanydifferent?Currentlyourcoachingworkforceispopulatedpredominantlybywhite,middle-agedmen.Theyaredoingagreatjobandweshouldallwantthemtocontinuecoaching–however,wealso want to develop our sports culture to welcome more women into coaching.

Diversitybringsmanybenefits:

• Differentanddiversemindscomingtogethermaymeanmoresolutionsariseaseveryindividualbringsintheirwayofthinking,operatingandsolvingproblems,and decision making.

• People from different backgrounds can relate to people from different backgrounds.Inotherwords,yourparticipantswillhaveabetterexperienceinyoursportifyouhaveamorediverseworkforceandthereforeachoiceofwhocoachesthem.Empathyisapowerfultoolthatcanhelpyourretentionfigures!

• More women coaches means more coaches.

• Diversitybringswithitdifferenttalentsandskillssetsfromwhichyourothercoaches can learn and develop.

The SCORE programme team has worked to create a tool kit of information which canbeusedbyanyorganisationwishingtorecruit,developorretainwomenintheircoachingworkforce,atanylevel.Theinformationincludedisnotsport-specifictoalloworganisationstousewhateverguidancetheymayfinduseful.

Aswearelookingtoeffectaculturalchangeinsport,itshouldberecognisedthatchangesmade,basedontheinformationwithinthetoolkit,maytaketimetoembedandshowanyrealimpact.Therearenoquickfixeswheneffectingsustainablechange.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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Organisational goals

• Womenactivelycoachingatalllevels

• Numberofwomencoachingelite/ high performance teams

• Tutor/trainerworkforce

Overall goals

• 40%overallworkforcearewomen

• 30%nationalcoachingworkforceisfemale

• 50:50tutorworkforce

The current landscape

• Qualifiedwomencoaches=

• Nationalteamcoaches=

• Womentutors/instructors=

What we do now What we want to do

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Plan Flowchart

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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Plan

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Plan Factsheet

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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IntroductionPlanningisessentialpriortomakinganychangesinyourorganisation.

Tomakechangesthatareeffectiveandsustainableyouhaveto:

• raiseawareness–understandyourcurrentsituationandleteveryoneknow• takeresponsibility–recogniseitisyouthatneedstomakethischange• takeaction–whatareyougoingtodoaboutit?

Butwheredoyoustart?

Where are you now?Audit your current coaching workforce

Unlessyouknowwhatyouhave,howdoyouknowwhatyouneedtochange?

Firstlyyouneedtoagreewhoyouclassascoach.

Forthepurposeofthistoolkit,theInternationalCouncilforCoachingExcellence(ICCE)definescoachingas‘aprocessofguidedimprovementanddevelopmentinasinglesportandatidentifiablestagesofdevelopment’.

• Howmanywomencoachesareactivelycoaching?

• Whoaretheycoaching?

• Wherearetheycoaching?

• Whatqualificationsdoyourwomencoacheshave?

• Howmanywomencoachesarepaid,howmanyarevoluntary?

Ifpossible,trackthisinformationoverasmanyyearsinthepastasyoucan.Canyouseeanytrendsinyourcoachingworkforcethatmayhelpyourfutureplanning?

Howdoyourfindingsfitagainsttherestofyourcountry,oragainstyoursportinothercountries?

Alsoagreewhatinformationyouneedtocollect.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Visit the Additional Information Folder for more information on the Croatian Judo Federation’s case.

Visit the Additional Information Folder for more information on the Gender Equality Plan of the Swedish Sports Confederation.

For an example from the UK, see the Data Fields Paper in the Additional Information Folder.

Consultation

Speaktoyourwomencoaches.Sportandcoachingisallaboutpeople.Unlessyouunderstandyourcoachesyouwillnotbeabletoprovidewhattheyneed.

• Whydotheycoach?

• Whatdotheyenjoyaboutcoachingyoursport?

• Whatchallengeshavetheyfacedasacoach?

• Whatwouldtheychangeaboutyoursport?

Itisequallyimportanttospeakwithwomenwhohavestoppedcoaching.Whyhavetheyleftcoaching?Isthereanythingyourfederationcouldhavedonetoretainthatcoach?

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Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Byspeakingtowomenwhonolongercoach,youwillstarttobuildupapictureofwhatbarriersyourfederationputsinplace.

Where do you want to be?Bynowyoushouldknowyourcurrent(andpossiblypast)landscapesoyouunderstandthemake-upofyourcurrentcoachingworkforcefromagenderperspective.Howdoyouknowwhereyouwanttobeandwhy?

TheguidancefromtheEU,derivedfromtheGenderEqualityinSport,Proposalfor Strategic Actions(February,2014)identifiesthefollowingtargetsforwomencoaches:

• Womenasvolunteerandemployedcoachesshouldbe40%ofthecoachingworkforce.

• Womenascoachesshouldbe30%ofallthenationalteamcoaches.

Andalso,notforgettingyourcurrentcoachingworkforce.Areyourmalecoachesawareandconfidenttosupporttheirfemalepeersdevelopingascoacheswithin yoursport?Genderequalityisallaboutmenandwomenhavingequalopportunitiestocoachandprogressastheywantto.Itisimperativethatyourfederationasawhole is aware and supportive of this approach.

Targets

Wehavetoberealisticonourtargets,andensuretheyaremeaningfultoyourownfederation.Ifyousetyourtargetstoohighitispossiblethatyouwillputmeasuresinplacewhichdisengageyourexistingcoachingworkforce,andcreateprogrammesthat are not meaningful or sustainable in the long term.

Chooseagoalthatyouarecomfortablecanbeattainedwithachievablechangestoyourexistingcoachingsystem.Thisseriesoffactsheetslooksatwhatchangesyoucanputinplacewhichwillleadtolongterm,sustainablechangeandgenderequalitywithin future coaching workforce.

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Barriers and challenges

sportscoachUKpublishedresearchin2013tounderstandwhatbarrierswomenfaceincoaching.Wehavealreadydiscussedthenegativeperceptionswithinsportandthewidersociety,butthereareotherbarrierswhichshouldbeaddressedifyouaretodevelopgenderequalityinyourcoachingworkforce.

GENDER ISSUES IN WIDER SOCIETY

Negativeperceptionsinsocietythatplacewomeninspecificroles(ieprimarychildcarer).Thesecanimpactnegativelyontheirabilitytostartcoachingqualifications(egduetoalackoftime). NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS WITHIN SPORTS

Specificsportsincludingfootball,cyclingandrugbyareperceivedasmaledominated, with women coaches perceived as inferior to males. PERSONALITY

Theviewthatonlyacertaintypeofwomanwithpredefinedpersonalitytraitswill besuccessfulincoachingandoncoachingqualifications. CONFIDENCE

Lackingconfidencecanbeakeybarriertoaccessingqualifications,particularlyifwomenthinktheywillbetheonlywomanonatrainingcourse. PRACTICAL BARRIERS – TIME, COST AND LOCATION

Accessibilitychallengesrelatingtotheamountoftimewomenhaveavailable,the costofqualificationsandwheretrainingislocated.

Click here to see more on barriers within the Develop Factsheet.

GENDER ISSUES IN WIDER SOCIETY

PERSONALITY

CONFIDENCE

PRACTICAL BARRIERS – TIME,

COST AND LOCATION

COACHING QUALIFICATIONS

NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS WITHIN

SPORTS

Itisimportantforyoutounderstandwhatbarriersyourwomencoachesfaceinorderforyoutoseewhatmeasuresyouneedtotaketoappropriatelyrecruit,developandretainwomeninyourcoachingworkforce.Speaktowomenthathavedroppedoutofcoachingyoursporttounderstandwhatbarriersyourfederationcanremovetoensureequalityandinclusionforyourcoaches.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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How are you going to get there?Identifythegapsbetweenwhatyouwanttoachieveandwhatyoualreadyhave–thisisknownasagapanalysis.Thisincludesyourorganisationalstaff.Havetheythecapacityandskillstoimplementtheplan?Youmayneedtooffertrainingtoexistingstaff or recruit additional staff.

Oneofthemostimportantpartsofplanningissettinggoals–itisawayoffocusingthe implementation of the plan and is a tool to monitor the project as it rolls out. Each of the three elements of recruiting, developing and retaining have to be plannedandhaveshort-,medium-andlong-termgoals.

Whenyouareplanningfortherecruitment, development and retention of yourwomencoaches,thinkaboutthefollowingelementsandincludethemintheplan.

Scoping – What insight can you learn from?

• Whatprojectswithagenderequalityfocushasyoursportruninthepast?Canyoulearnfromtheirfindings?

• What projects have run in other sports or sports organisations in the past few yearsthatyoucouldlearnfrom?

• Whatorganisationsoutsideofsportcanyoulearnfrom?Manyprivatesectorcompanies now run women’s leadership programmes that could provide learning thatisequallyapplicabletocoaching.

Scoping – Understanding your own sports organisation

Howarewomenperceivedinyoursport–eitherascoachesorathletes/participants?Ifcarriedoutpositively,thestepsoursportssectormakestowardsgenderequalitywill,overtime,haveanimpactonhowwomenareperceivedinsociety.Thisisalong-termgoal,butbymakingsmallandconsistentchanges,overtime,genderinequalitywillbeaddressed.

Youcanstartthischangeprocessbylookingwithinyourownorganisationanditsculture.

• Whatistheperceptionofyoursportinyourcountry?Isit‘asportformen?’

• Howmanywomenworkinthedevelopmentofyoursport?

• HowmanywomenareonyourseniormanagementteamandBoard?

• Howdoyoupubliciseyoursportexternally?Doyoupredominantlyuseimagesofmenplayingandcoachingyoursport?

• Whatpoliciesdoyouhaveinplacethatsupportandprotectyourcoachingworkforce(egemployment,health,anti-discrimination,anti-harassment/bullyingpolicies)

Scoping – Understanding women in sport and coaching

Althoughthisvariesfromcountrytocountry,overallsportisoftenseenasgenderedtofavourmen,bothintermsofplayingsportandcoachingit.Thisisduetoexistingcoachingsystemswithinsportsorganisationshavingbeencreatedbymen.Tomoveforward,sportshouldprovidetailoredopportunitiesthatwelcomeand retain men andwomenplayingyoursport,andalsomarketcoachingtowomenaviableopportunity.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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Understand their motivations and values

RecentresearchfromWomeninSport,basedintheUK,hasidentifiedvaluesthatmotivate women to take part in sport:

Althoughthesevaluescanbespecificallyattachedtowomenparticipatinginsport,theycanalsoworkasmotivationsintocoaching.

Itshouldalsobenotedthatsomeofthevaluesidentifiedmayalsoberelevantformenengagedinsport,however,thisspecificresearchlookedonlyatthemotivationsof women in sport.

Click here to see more on motivation within the Recruit Factsheet.

Areas of focus for your plan

Thistoolkitlooksintothreespecificareasthatwillhelpyoudevelopyourstrategyforgenderequalityinyourcoachingsystem.Clickonthefollowinglinkstoaccesseach factsheet:

Recruit

Develop

Retain

Creating your planBycompletingthescopingelementofplanningyouarenowinagreatpositiontodevelopaplanthatisappropriatetotheneedsofyoursportandthewomenyouwillberecruiting,developingandhopefullyretainingascoaches.

AguidetohelpyoudevelopyourplanhasbeencreatedbysportscoachUK.Section4ofthisbookspecificallylooksathowyoucanwriteyourplan.

See Develop Your Coaching Strategy in the Additional Information Folder.

This document contains advice on:

• setting and measuring objectives

• creating planning milestones

• integratingyourstrategy/plan

• monitoring and evaluation.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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The importance of monitoring and evaluationItisvitaltoanyprojecttohaveaplantomonitorandevaluateyourprogressembeddedfromthestart.Yourauditwillhaveidentifiedthepositionyourorganisationisinbeforetheprojectstarts.Usethisasyourbaselinesoyoucanseehowyouractionsaremakingthechangesyouwanttomake.

Identify measurable milestones – set goals at the start of the project to ensure itstaysontrackagainsttheagreedplan.Setshort-,medium-andlong-termgoalstobuild an overall change within the sport scheme.

Measuring success–whatwillsuccesslooklike?Itshouldincludeatargetinnumberformandidentifyschemechanges–thesecanbeusedascasestudies.

Measuring impact–itisimportanttorecognisethattheworkyoustarttodointhisareamaynothaveanymeasurableimpactuntil12months/twoyears/fiveyearslater,butitisimportanttosetyourmeasurementsinplacefromthestartsoyoucanreportonyourachievementsandlearnfromtheprojectasitgoesalong.

Learn from what doesn’t work, and change it – ongoing monitoring also helps yourecognisewhatactionshavebeenputinplacethatarenotworking.Learnfromthesemistakesandlooktorectifythem–howcouldyouamendtheapproachtomakeitwork?

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View the Impact Measuring Toolkit from sports coach UK in the Additional Information Folder.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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Think about:

• auditingyourcurrentworkforce

• coaches’ consultation

• scoping

• yourorganisationalgoals

• monitoring and evaluation.

Plan

What we do now What we want to do

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Recruit Flowchart

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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Recruitment

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Recruit Factsheet

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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IntroductionCoaching is an important aspect of sport. Recent research from sports coach UK (ImpactofCoachingonParticipants’Survey,2015)hasidentifiedthatcoacheshaveanimpactonpeoplegettinginvolvedinsportandstayingactive.Itisthereforeimportantthatyouhaveadiversecoachingworkforcethatcanmeettheneedsofeachoneofyourparticipants.

Thebenefitsofgenderequalityincoachingcanbesummarisedinfivekeyareas:

• More choice:Morecoaches=morechoice=greaterparticipantsatisfaction.

• Additional skills: Participants and coaches have access to a wider skill set.

• Untapped resources: More inclusive recruitment practice will reduce shortages in club coaching.

• Economic benefit:Forexample,intheUK,additionalcoachesintroducedthroughgenderequalitypracticewouldbringtheequivalentof£188mcoachingvalueeachyear.

• Cultural change:Equalitywithinthecoachingenvironmentmakingabetterworld.

This factsheet aims to provide information which will support effective recruitment ofwomenintoyourcoachingworkforceatalllevels.Itisimportanttocontinuetovalueandsupportyourexistingcoachingworkforcewhileaddressingyourgenderimbalance.

What motivates her?Everyonehasdifferentreasonsormotivationstobecominganddevelopingasa coach. Each individual brings with them their life experiences both within and outsideofsport.Weneedtoharnesstheseandshowhowtheycanenhancethemasacoachandthosewhotheycoach.

Values

Understanding the values that women have in sport is important to recognising her motivations.

Click here to see more on understanding her motivations and values in the Plan Factsheet.

Therearetwotypesofmotivation,intrinsically motivated,whichinvolvesperforminganactionbecauseyouenjoyit,andextrinsically motivated,whichinvolves engaging in a behaviour in order to gain reward. Understanding these motivationscanhelpinyourrecruitmentstrategy.

Intrinsically motivated

• To support participants to develop their skills • Toputsomethingbackintothesporttheyhavebeeninvolvedin• To have a sense of belonging• To gain a sense of personal achievement • Providesanopportunitytostayinvolvedintheirsport

Extrinsically motivated (involves engaging in a behaviour in order to gain reward)

• Stayinginvolvedinthesportinwhichtheyhaveparticipated• Encourage more women to participate in sport • To support their daughter or son to participate in sport• Todeveloptheirowncoaching,teachingorinterpersonalskills

Video: Get started – #ThisGirlCanCoach

How do we market coaching to her?Appealing to women: Your organisational profile

Howisyoursportviewedbythegeneralpublic?Whatisyourorganisationalculture?Sportisagenderedactivitywhichisheavilybiasedtowardsmen.Ifyoursportismostlycoachedandplayedbymenandyourmarketingreflectsthis,howcanyouexpectittoappealtowomen?

Knowingyourorganisationandchangingitscultureandprofileisnotashort-termfix,butrecognisingwherewomenareunder-representedinyourorganisationisagood starting point on making those changes.

Click here for more information on understanding your own sports organisation in the Plan Factsheet.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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Appealing to women: Go where women are

Whatyoucouldputinplacetoattractmorewomentogetinvolvedincoaching?

• Change the offer to suit the women you are targeting – don’t expect women to change to fit your sport.

Thecurrentofferdoesn’tappealorappeartoberelevantformanywomenwhowouldliketobeinvolvedincoaching.Listentowhatyouraudiencecareaboutandtailorhowcoachingcanbedeliveredbywomenwhoarepassionatetodoso.

• Don’t just talk about ‘coaching’.

The word ‘sport’ and its traditional image can trigger negative associations for manywomen.Likewise,coachingcouldbeviewedinthesamewayduetotheirperceptions of what coaching is. Provide opportunities to get involved in coaching initiallythroughasupportiveroletohelpovercometheirpreconceptions.

• Differentiate coaching from other interests by promoting (not preaching) the additional benefits – sell what your audience is asking for.

Inadditiontohealthbenefits,whichmanywomendoalreadyrecognise,coachingcanprovidetheopportunitytosocialise,bysupportingtheirlocalcommunitytogetactive,whiledeveloptheirexistingskillsandlearningnewones.

• Seeing is believing. Making coaching the ‘norm’ for women relies on local women of all ages, sizes and faiths not only becoming active but celebrating it and encouraging others to join in.

Role models are a powerful marketing tool for women in coaching. It can reinforce the message that coaching could be for them.

• Use positivity and encouragement to support your coaches.

Helpwomenrecognisetheskillsthattheyhavearevaluableincoaching.Providesupport for their development and put mechanisms in place which provide ongoing motivation and encouragement (for example: providing effective lines of communication,localcoachingnetworksandmentoring)asitshowsyouvalueandcare for them.

• Make it easy for women to get involved: right time, right place, right welcome, right company, right gear.

Address both practical and emotional barriers together to ensure that neither outweighthemotivationtobeactive.Amoreconvenientcrèchefacilitymayonlyattractthosewhofeelconfidentwiththeactivityorwhoarealreadyinasportingenvironment.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

We have created some information that can help the women you are recruiting understand what coaching involves and how they can get into coaching. Visit Your Guide to Becoming a Coach in the Additional Information Folder.

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Where can we find coaches?

Elite sport–ifyouwantcoachesforelitesport,youneedtolookatyourexistingpoolofcoaches.Womenwhohavecompetedinyoursportareagoodoptionastheyunderstandthetechnicalitiesofthesport.Creatinganathletetocoachingprogrammeattheeliteorhighperformanceendofyoursportwouldhelpraiseawarenessofcoachingasapotentialopportunitytoyourfemaleathletes.However,beingatalentedathletedoesnotnecessarilyequatetobeingagoodcoach.

Lookatsupporting,developingandrecruitingthepoolofwomencoachescomingupthroughyourcoachingpathway.Theirexperience,knowledgeandstronginterpersonal(soft)skillsmaymakethemhighlysuitablecandidates.

Look at your current participants–ifyouwantmorewomencoachingyourcommunity-basedsport,lookingtowardsthelocalcommunityisveryimportant.Whichwomenlocallywhoareactivearealsogreatorganisers?Whohasapassionforyoursportorbeingactive?Whobringsalongfriendsandfamilymemberstoyoursession?

Speaktothesewomen,askthemtogetinvolved.Theyknowtheircommunityandcanactasinfluencersingettingmorepeopleactiveandmotivated.

Look outside of sport–thinkabouttheskillsofacoachandwhereyoufindtheseinotherrolesorjobs.Thesewomenoftensitoutsideofthesportsystemyetboththeindividualandthesportcouldbenefitfromthembeinginvolved.

Go out and find them – set up informal sessions in local clubs which introduce what coaching is and what skills and knowledge a woman would need to get involved. Advertise the event around the club and local area and use images of women coaching.

Alwaysbehonestinwhatcommitmentisrequiredbutalsosellthebenefitsofbeinginvolved. Understand what motivates women and create a coaching offer that would appealtothem(forexample,co-coachingorcoachinginateam,supportavailablefromtheclub,sportandothercoaches).

Gatherinformationonwhoattendsandwhotakesupcoachingfollowingyoursession.Trackingthislearningwillhelpyouinfuturerecruitmentevents.

Promote coaching–createashort(max4minutes)filmwhichpromotescoachingyoursport.Userealwomencoachesandexplainwhatcoachinginvolves. Attheendofthefilmaddappropriatelinkstomoreinformationandcontactdetailssoanyinterestedwomenhavesomeonerelevanttotalktoinyourorganisation.Postthefilmonyourwebsite,Facebookpage,Twitterandviaothersocialmedia.Look to post it out on channels that women access.

Have a look at the video clips and web pages:

Video: Get started – #ThisGirlCanCoach

Webpage:Judgecoachesontheirabilityandeffectivenessnotontheirgender

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Visit the Additional Information Folder for more information on the Cyprus Sport Organisation’s workshop entitled ‘Encouraging Women into Coaching’.

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Proactive, open and transparent recruitmentTherightpersonforthejobshouldalwaysberecruited,butnooneshouldbejustgivenajoborrolebecausetheyhappentoknowthepersonrecruiting.Thiscanleadtoanexclusiveapproachtorecruitmentandwillgenerallyreducethepoolofskillswithinanygivengroup.However,thereisnoprobleminencouragingorinvitingsomeonetoapplyforacoachingroleorjobaslongasthesameprocessofshortlisting and interviewing is applied to all.

Youwillneedtobeawareofanyemploymentlegislationinplacerelatingtofairrecruitmentpracticeforwomen.Ensureyourrecruitmentpoliciesadheretothislegislation.

• Provide information about the role.

Provide details of what coaching entails and what commitment and knowledge is expected.Beawarethattechnicalknowledgecanbetaught.Interpersonal/softskillsare much harder to teach but just as valuable in coaching.

Advertiseyourcoachingpositionsthrough:

–postinginformationonyourwebsite

–promotingthisinformationthroughvarioussocialmediachannels(soyoucanmonitorinterestandfieldquestions)

– linking with women’s sports and coaching networks to advertise the post

–wordofmouth:informyourexistingcoachestotalktoparticipants,mumsstandingoncourtsideorsideline,theirownsocialcircle

–promotingtheroleinplaceswherewomenare(egcommunityhalls,libraries,schools,sportsclubsandgyms).

• The job descriptions and application process.

Researchhasshownthatwomenlookatajobdescriptionandwon’tapplyfortheroleeveniftheymeetaround70%ofthecriteria,astheyoftenconcentrateonthe30%theycan’tdo.Men’sapproachtothiscouldbetheopposite.Thisisknownasthe confidence gap.

Tomaketheapplicationprocessmoreinclusive,considerthefollowing:

• letters of application,whichallowwomentowriteabouttheirachievementsandexperiences,ratherthanfillingoutafive-pageapplicationform.

• phone calls where prospective applicants can talk through the role and have a persontopersondiscussionabouttheirsuitability.

Assuchitisimportantthatyouadda point of contact with an email address and phone number and advise that this person is available to discuss the role further. Check the person or people who will receive the calls have the correct knowledge of the role being advertised.

Wording – research outside of sport in engineering (another male-dominated industry)sawhowchangingthewordinginthejobdescriptioncanreducetheunconsciousbiastowardsmalerecruitment.Importantly,theresearchdidshowthatthechangingofwordsdidn’tleadtoareductioninmalesapplying.

Webpage: Gender bias in job descriptions

Webpage: Evidence That Gendered Wording in Job Advertisements Exists and SustainsGenderInequality

• The use of images as a marketing tool.

Imagescanbeverypowerfulsoensuretheyreflectthewomenyouareaimingtorecruit.

Lookattheimagesyoucurrentlyuse–whatmessagemightthissendtowomen?Dotheyconveyasenseofwelcoming?

Spending time and funds to build up a bank of positive images of women coaching andparticipatingcouldpaydividendsinthelongtermandhelpyourorganisationmarket itself as one that welcomes and values women in all aspects of their sport.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

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• Personal invitations to coach.

Women who are successful in sport or coaching have often talked about the ‘nudge’ receivedtopushthemtotrysomethingneworhaveago.

It is important that the sports organisation advocates for its entire coaching workforcetosupportandwelcomewomenascoaches.Unfortunatelybullyingandharassmentinsportiscommonplace,evenmorestartlingisthesexistbehaviourexhibitedbymalecoachestowardstheirfemalepeers(Norman,L.andRankin,A.J.[in prep] ‘Towards a sociological understanding of well-being: The case of women coaches’,Sociology of Sport Journal).

The UN launched an international campaign #HeforShe which resolves to promote genderequalitybyraisingawarenessamongmenthattheycanplayaroleinsupporting women.

• Mixed gender review and interview panels.

ThestartingpointforwomenbeingrepresentedmoreequallyincoachingisforsportsorganisationstoaimforgenderequalityintheirseniormanagementteamandBoard.Thesearethekeydecisionmakersinthefederationandshouldbeadvocatesfortherestoftheorganisation.Greaterrepresentationbywomenatdecision-making level should allow for greater representation throughout the workforce,includingcoaching.

Related blogs from the sports coach UK website:

Webpage:Judgecoachesontheirabilityandeffectivenessnotontheirgender

Webpage:Beingcoachedbyafemale–diditmakeadifference?

© A

lan

Edw

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Planning for recruitmentApplication process

Paidcoachingrolesshouldhaveatransparentapplication,interviewandfeedbackprocess in place to ensure the candidate is being given a fair chance of being successful.

Dependingonyournationalemploymentlaws,itmaybeunlawfultonotemployorprovideequalopportunitytoapplyforacoachingrolebasedontheirgender.Forexample,inEnglandandWales,the2010EqualityActrecognisesgender(sex)asaprotectedcharacteristic.Assuch,anyunfavourableactiontowardswomen(ormen)based on their gender is unlawful.

Beawareofandadheretoemploymentlegislationinyourcountryinrelationtogenderequality.

Policy

Theoccupationalwell-beingofyourcoachesisofparamountimportance.Notonlybecauseitrelatestothegoodhealthandwell-beingofyourcoach,butitalsoimpactsontheretentionofyourworkforce.Thepoliciesyouputinplaceshowthatyourespectandsupportyourcoachingworkforceandwanttoprotectthem.Areyouafederationthatbothmenandwomenwanttocoachfor?

Ensureyoupromotethatyouareanequitableemployerwhenrecruitingnewcoaches.

Coachesmustbesupportedintheirrole,irrespectiveofthelevelatwhichtheycoach.Doesyourorganisationhaveananti-bullying/harassmentpolicyinplacetoprotectcoachesfromboththeplayerorathleteandothercoaches?

Forpaidcoaches,doyouprovide(whereapplicableinyourcountry):

• pension schemes

• maternity/paternity/adoptionleavepolicy

• fixed-termemploymentcontracts

• healthbenefits?

Whatprovisiondoyoumakeforflexibleworking?Doyousupportandpromoteco-coaching or team coaching to share the commitment needed from all yourcoaches?

Doyouprovideleavefrominternationalornationaltours?

Doyouallowfamilyvisitswhileyourcoachesareontour?

Monitoring

Irrespectiveofthelevelofcoachyouarerecruiting,makesureyourecorddetailsofallapplicationssubmitted,includingmonitoringdatarelatingtothepersonapplyingforthejob.Thiswillhelpyouunderstandwhatinterestyouarereceivingfromdifferentdemographicgroups,andthereforewhatyoucandotosupportapplications from those groups under-represented.

Themonitoringdatayoucollectfollowingarecruitmentdriveshouldfeedintoyouroverall coaching workforce data.

Ifyouarenotreceivingapplicationsfromwomen,orothergroupsyouaretargeting,lookintowhythiscouldbe.Trytoaddressthereasonswhyspecificgroupsare notapplying.

Pleasenote,onlycollectdataonyourcoachingworkforcethatisgoingtobeusedtoinformorchangeyourrecruitmentprocess.

Makesureyoustoreyourdatainasecureplace.Thereshouldnotbefreeandopenaccess to people’s personal data.

See Data Fields Paper in the Additional Information Folder for an example of what data to collect.

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Think about:

• organisationalprofile

• what women want

• marketing messages

• use of images

• recruitment process

• recruitment policies

• support from existing workforce.

Recruit

What we do now What we want to do

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Develop Flowchart

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Development

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Develop Factsheet

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How can she develop?Therearemanywaysacoachcandeveloptheirskills,forexample:

Howacoachlearnsdependsverymuchontheirownpersonalapproachtolearning.Womenmayfacebarriersinbecomingacoachandalsowhendevelopingtheir coaching skills.

Click here to see more in the Barriers and Challenges diagram.

Barriers

We have mentioned the barriers faced in the Planning factsheet within this tool kit.

How can your federation overcome these barriers and support women to develop as coaches?

Therearethreekeyelementstoensuringyourwomencoachesaresupportedappropriately:

• Providing and promoting support networks

• Providingaccessibleandflexiblelearningopportunities

• Ensuring the organisational culture values women in the coaching workforce.

Providing and promoting support networksCoachesbenefitgreatlyfromhavingsupportnetworksaroundthem.

Women value having access to support – either one-to-one or in a group environment.Providingbuddiesormentorsisanexcellentwayofproviding one-to-one support.

• Mentoring.

AccordingtosportscoachUK’sMentoringinSporttraining‘Mentoringtraditionallyinvolvestheprovisionoflong-termsupport,guidanceandadvicefromamentortoamentee(CIPD,2010).Acrossthedifferentdefinitions,mentoringischaracterisedbyanintense“caring”and“guiding”quality.Accordingly,amentoris“anaccomplishedandexperiencedperformerwhotakesaspecial,personalinterestinhelpingtoguideanddevelopajuniorormoreinexperiencedperson”(Gibb,1994,p.32).Tobeamentorcarriestheconnotationofbeing“atrustedadviser,achallengerandanencourager”(FieldandField,1994,p.65).’

Mentoringisnotabouttellingthemwhatandhowtodevelop,butguidingthemtoself-discover and signpost them. The approach to mentoring and the level of support requiredwillalsodependontheindividualbeingmentored.

Settingupamentoringprogrammewithinyourorganisationcanberesourceintensive,however,thebenefitsofbeingabletoprovidesomeonewhocanbuildaprofessionalrelationshipwithyourcoachandbeabletorecognisewhatindividualsupporttheymayneedisinvaluable.

To see an example of good practice view Women Taking Responsibility in Coaching – Team Sports Project Using Mentoring as a Tool in Finland 2014-2018 in the Additional Information Folder.

As part of the SCORE programme, a group of women mentors are being trained and supported so they can mentor more women coaches in their own countries. Read more about this in the SCORE Mentorin Programme file in the Additional Information Folder.

Mentoring Workshops

Co-coaching Social media and online resources

Coachingqualifications Appraisals/reviews

Seminars/conferences/webinars Coach observations

Coachingpracticeandself-reflection Trainingneedsanalysis

Resource books and journals Personal development plan

Formal education Coach shadowing

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• Shadowing other coaches/co-coaching.

Co-coachingcanprovideagreatopportunityfornewcoachestofindoutwhatcoaching entails and see if it is for them without committing right from the start. Providingapositivefirststepintocoachingisinvaluableinallowingwomentobuilduptheirconfidenceslowlyandrecognisethattheydohavethetransferablelifeskillsneeded.

Likewise,shadowingorco-coachingatthehigherlevelwillnotonlybuildknowledgeandexperience,butitwillalsoexposewomencoachestotheoftenclosednetworks of high performance and elite coaching. This example of how a sports federationcanchangeitssystemstoprovidegreatersupportforwomencoacheswillincreasetheirexperienceandexposurealongthepathwaytohigh-performancecoaching.

• Conferences and forums.

Face-to-facenetworkingeventsareinvaluable.Technologyincreasinglyshowsitsvalueinsavingustime,butsocialgatheringsfosterqualityrelationshipsandmeaningfulexchanges.Thisisbecausetrustismoreeasilygainedwhenpeoplecanreadsocialcues(suchaseyecontactandposture)inthepersoninfrontofthem.

Asweincreasinglyrecognisetheimportanceofdiversityinacoachingworkforce,it is also important to recognise that women coaches should not just engage with otherwomencoachesinanexclusivenetwork.Manycoachesseethevalueinlearningfromothercoaches(ofbothgenders),inothersportsandothercountries.

• Direct contact with the sport to feed back on their personal development needs.

Directcontactwithyourcoachesisinvaluableasitwillallowyoutobetterunderstandthedevelopmentneedsofyourworkforce.Itwillalsohelpyouidentifywhichofyourcoachesarestillactivelycoaching,whichwillhelpyourongoingworkforce monitoring.

Keepintouchthroughregularemails,newslettersandsurveys.Directmailingwillallowyoutoupdatethecoachondevelopmentswithinyourorganisationandopportunitiesavailabletothem,butsurveyscanprovideaplatformonwhichyoucangetdirectfeedback.Thisdirectfeedbackisinvaluableinsupplyingyouwithinsightintowhatyourcoachingworkforceneedstodevelopthemandretainthemwithinyoursport.

Byshowingyouvalueyourcoaches,youarefosteringasenseofbelongingandsupport,whichisvitaltoyourcoaches.

Providing accessible and flexible learning opportunities• Development opportunities that allow personal growth.

Coachingiswiderthanjustknowingandbeingconfidentinthetechnicalandtacticalaspectsofyoursport.Acoachengagesregularlywithpeople.Assuchtheyneedtohave strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

Look at providing learning opportunities which:

• developself-confidence

• build networks

• developself-reflectionskills

• promotethecoach’swell-being(physicalandmental/emotional).

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However,achieving‘traditional’coachingqualificationsandaccessingtrainingisimportant for women coaches for three reasons:

• Theyfeelasenseofachievementwhichdevelopstheirself-confidence.

• Itprovidesevidencethattheyarequalifiedandsafetocoach.

• Theycanevidencetheircoachingachievementstoothercoachesandathletes.

Unfortunately,manywomencoachesfeeltheyneedtobeabletoprovetheirlevelof coaching to gain the respect of their peers and participants.

It is the work of the federation to not tolerate a culture of sexism which can exist withincoaching,wherebyafemalecoachisnotvaluedashighlyasamalecoach.Afemalecoachshouldnothavetoproveherselftoberespectedbyhermalepeers.

Spendingtimewithcoachesindividuallyisimportanttoidentifywhatdevelopmenttheyneed.Asimpletrainingneedsanalysisandpersonaldevelopmentplanwillhelpthemfeelvaluedandsupported,aswellasprovidingyoubothwithalogofwhatdevelopment opportunities are needed and being accessed.

Doyoucurrentlyhavetwo-wayconversationswithyourcoaches?

Whatmethodsofcommunicationcanyouputinplacetosupportyourcoachesindividually?

• Surveys

• Telephone/email/Skypeconversations

• Creating personal development plans.

Visit the Additional Information Folder for more on the Croatian Skating Federation’s educational programme, organised in partnership with the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb.

• Modularise learning in different formats.

Traditionally,coacheducationtrainingprogrammestakeplaceinblocks.Thesetrainingeventsoftentakecoachesawayfromtheirhomesandfamilies,sometimesovernightandformanydays.Somecoachesmayviewthistimeawayfromtheirhomelivesasabarriertodevelopingtheircoachingskills.Womenstillremain,onthewhole,primarycarersfortheirchildrenandotherfamilymembers,sotimeawaycreateslogisticalproblemswhichcannotonlymakeitdifficulttoattendtheevent,butalsocancreatestresswhichcouldaffecttheirabilitytoconcentrateontheir learning and achieve their potential.

Theselearningeventscouldbemodularisedanddeliveredadayatatimeoveralongerperiod,withelementsoflearningdeliveredonline.Astechnologydevelops,the number of different formats in which learning can be delivered is growing all the time.Assuch,individuallearnersareabletoidentifythewaysinwhichtheybestlearn,andcanaccesslearning.

Face-to-facecontact,aspreviouslymentioned,isstillimportanttowomencoaches,butmodulescanbedeliveredonlinewhichcomplementaspecificlearningprogrammebyremainingbothresponsiveandpersonalised.Webinarsandonlineforums can still provide interaction while reducing the need for travel and going to theexpenseofbookingcostlyvenues.

Thinkabouthowyoucurrentlydelivertrainingtoyourcoaches.Haveyou spokentothemtounderstandhowbetterthiscouldbedelivered,tosuittheir ownlifestyles?

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• Mixed gender learning events.

Learners/delegates attending

Duetothecoachingworkforceconsistingpredominantlyofmeninmostsports,thelikelihood is that coach development learning events will be attended and delivered mainlybymen.Beingoutnumberedinanenvironmentcanbeuncomfortableforsomepeopleandmayimpactontheirlearningexperienceorcompletionofthetraining/session.

Monitoryourattendeesattheselearningeventsandtakethetimetoproactivelyinvitewomencoachestothesession.Thebenefitsofmaleandfemalecoacheslearning together can include:

• sharing different approaches to coaching

• learning from each other’s own personal experiences

• reducing the instance of gender-based negative attitudes as relationships can be developedinaneutralenvironmentwhereeveryoneislearningtogether.

Female-onlylearningeventsshouldonlyberunonrequestfromthewomencoachesthemselves.Runningseparateeventsformaleandfemalecoachesmayonlyserve to increase the gender gap and exacerbate negative attitudes towards women as coaches.

The tutor/trainer workforce

Aswithcoaching,tutorandtrainingworkforcesarepredominantlymale.Thepresence of a female tutor or trainer can provide a more balanced approach to learning,asdiversitycanbringdifferentapproaches,viewsandlifeexperiences.

Amixedgenderteamofdeliverersatalearningeventwillprovidediversityinhowthecontentisbeingdelivered,whichwillcreateamoreeffectivelearningenvironment for all coaches.

• Pre-course information.

Byprovidinginformationaboutalearningprogramme,youaremorelikelytoreceive more women coaches at the event. This information can be made available onthewebsite,butthinkalsoofsendingoutpersonalisedinformationinvitingthemtoattend,andsupplythefollowing:

• Date,timeandlocationoftheevent

• Thescheduleofeventsincludingabreakdownofclassroom-basedlearning,practical exercises and assessments taking place

• What the learning outcomes will be

• Information about when the on-course breaks and ‘downtime’ is

• Who is leading each session (with contact details if possible)

• Whatclothingandequipmentisneeded

• Details of accommodation (if relevant)

• Who else is expected to attend the event

• Who to contact about logistical information of the course.

Ensuring the organisational culture values women in the coaching workforceAsdiscussedinotherpartsofthistoolkit,theapproachyourorganisationtakestowardspromotingthevalueofwomencoachesandproactivelywelcomingwomencoaches to develop is of paramount importance.

• Pro-active in the support you provide.

Keepintouchregularlywithyourwomencoachesandbeinterestedintheirdevelopment. Ensure there is a workforce available to support them and provide access to networking opportunities both inside and outside sport. Advocate the importanceofattendingtheseevents.Alackofself-confidenceandneedfora‘nudge’toattendtheseeventscaneasilybeovercomebypersonalsupportfromyourorganisation.

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Acentralonlinenetworkofyourwomencoaches,mixedwithface-to-faceevents,willensurethatatwo-waylineofcommunicationcontinuesandyouhaveabetterunderstandingofyourcoaches’developmentneeds,andtheyfeelsupportedandpart of the sport.

• Allow time to coach and reflect.

Coaches,especiallyatthehigh-performancelevel,maynotgettimetofocusandreflectontheirowncoachingastheyaremanagingothercoaches,writingcoachingprogrammes and juggling home life at the same time. Providing support to cover administrationtasks,forexample,wouldfreeuptimetoallowthecoachtocoachandreflectontheirpractice.Oncereflectedtheywouldbeinabetterpositiontorecognise their own development needs.

Your organisation should recognise and value the importance of coaching and reflectiontime,andadvocatetheneedforitbythecoach.

• Provide information relating to opportunities within the sports development [office] or wider coaching opportunities.

Coachesshouldbeavaluedpartofthewiderorganisation.Assuchyoushouldbe keen to support their development. Women coaches do struggle with juggling coaching,workandfamilylifetoanextentthatbeingacoachisnolongertenableforthem.Provideinformationtoyourcoachesaboutjobvacanciesthatcomeupwithinyourorganisationand,ifapplicable,supporttheirapplication.

• Positive imagery in development materials.

Womenneedtoseethattheyarevaluedintheorganisationforwhomtheycoach.Assuch,imagesofwomen,alongsidemen,playingandcoachingyoursportshouldbeusedinallyourpublications,promotionalandeducationalresources.Femalerolemodelswithinyoursportshouldbepromotedandcelebrated.

Promotingyourorganisationasonethatvaluesgenderequalityatalllevelswillstartto change the culture of sport and help women to recognise the importance of their involvement.

What can she do to develop?What coaches want?

Aninexperiencedcoachmaynotnecessarilyknowwhattheyneedtoknowwhentheystartcoaching.Moreexperiencedcoachesmaywanttoknowhowtheycandevelopincertainareas.Itisimportantthat,atanylevel,coachesaresupportedintheirdevelopmentifyouwanttokeepthemcoachingyoursport.Itistheroleofeachorganisationtosupporttheminreachinggoals.Asastartingpoint,atrainingneedsanalysis(TNA)isatooltofindoutwhatthegapsareinthecoaches’experience,skillsandknowledge.Thiswillmakeiteasiertoidentifywhatandhowthesegapscanbefilled.

What coaches need

OncetheTNAhasbeencompletedthenextstepisforthecoach,withthehelpandsupportofamentororothercoach,toworkonapersonaldevelopmentplan(PDP).

AlthoughboththeTNAandPDPhavetobecompletedbyindividualcoaches,itcanbedoneingroups,witheitheraleaderfacilitatingthegrouporevenpeer-to-peersupport.Whoeversupportsthecoach,itisnotabouttellingthemwhatandhowtodevelop,butguidingthemtoself-discoverandsignpostthem.

Both the TNA and the PDP are great tools for an inexperienced mentor to use as a guide of what to ask and how to signpost.

View this document online here or find it in the Additional Information Folder.

Relevant Blogs

Webpage:Determination,dedicationandability

Webpage:Myjourneyintohigh-profilecoaching

Webpage: An exciting career in cricket coaching – thoughts of Lisa Pagett

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Think about:

• pre-learning information

• trainer workforce

• timings/venues/cost

• co-coaching/shadowing

• genderequalityawareness.

Develop

What we do now What we want to do

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Retain Flowchart

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Retain

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Retain Factsheet

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IntheUK,onaverage,womenstayinhigh-performancecoachingrolesforonlyfiveyears.Thisindicatestheneedfororganisationstoputmeasuresinplacewhichsupportwomentostaycoaching.

Retaining women coaches is built around providing opportunities that engage and excite her in an environment that values her and supports her to develop. The followingprincipleshighlighthowyoucanensurethatyourwomencoachesremaincoachingyoursport.

Gatherdatatounderstandhowlongyourcoachesstaycoachingyoursport.Isthereadifferencebetweenmenandwomen?

Arethereanypatternsaroundtheageatwhichacoachstartsordropsoutofyoursport?

Supporting herProviding and promoting support networks

Researchidentifiesthatwomencoacheshighlyvaluecoachingnetworks.Thesenetworksallowcurrentlyunder-representedwomencoachestosharetheirexperiencesandsupporteachothertofindsolutions.Womenmayfeelmorecomfortable sharing their experiences in all-women environments if their experiencesofcoachingtodatehavenotbeenpositive.However,donotassumethatwomencoachesonlywanttobepartofwomen-onlycoachingnetworks.Proactivelysupportthemtojoinanycoachingnetworksyourfederationruns.Bringingmaleandfemalecoachestogetherintherightenvironmentcanbenefiteveryone.Aswehavediscussedpreviously,diversityinanyworkforcepromotesthesharingofdifferentexperiencesandapproaches.Byworkingtowardsequalrepresentationofmenandwomenatyourcoachnetworkingevents,youareworkingtowards‘normalising’womenascoachesofyoursport.

Visit the Additional Information Folder for more information on the Swedish Sports Confederation’s national network of female coaches in national teams.

• Social media as a networking tool.

Socialmediaisaverypowerfulresourceforwomen–researchshowsthatwomenaremorelikelytousePinterest,FacebookandInstagram,howevermenarequicklycatchinguponwomeninthistrend(80%to73%respectively:PewResearchCenter,2015).Providingaccesstolocal,nationalandinternationalcoachingnetworkscanbeinvaluableforyourcoaches.Alessresource-intensiveapproachtoprovidingsupportnetworksforyourwomencoachesisbyidentifyinglocal,nationalandinternational coaching networks and linking them in.

Interestingly,onlinediscussionforumsareespeciallypopularamongmen. One-in-fivemaleInternetuserssaytheyreadorcommentonsitessuchasReddit,DiggorSlashdot,comparedwithonly11%ofonlinewomen.APewResearchsurveyfrom2013thatonlyaskedInternetusersabouttheirReddituseshowsasimilardivisionbygender.

While most of these gender differences tend to be consistent across Pew Research Centersurveys,thegendergapforLinkedInhasnarrowedovertime.Today,aroughlyequalproportionofInternet-usingmen(26%)andwomen(25%)usetheprofessionalnetworkingsite.TheshareofwomenwhouseLinkedInhassteadilyincreasedsince2010,whenonly12%ofwomenusedtheplatform.

Mentoring

Mentoring is an essential part of retaining and developing women coaches as it gives them access to personal support when it is needed. It also provides the coach withasensethattheyareavaluedpartofyourorganisationaseffectivementoringprogrammesareoftencostlytorunandresourceintensive.

Visit the Additional Information Folder for more information on the Finnish Coaches’ Association Mentoring Project.

Visit the Additional Information Folder for more information on the SCORE Mentoring Programme.

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Managing transition

Peoplegothroughperiodsoftransitionthroughouttheirlife,someexperiencesinlifemayjusthappentowomenormayhaveagreaterimpactonsomewomenthanmen.Theselifetransitionstakemanyformsandcanhaveanimpactonhercoachingintermsofherbeingabletoattendhersessions,toherlevelsofconcentrationduring the session.

Belowisalistoflifetransitionsthatsomewomenmayface.Anorganisationshouldbeawareofthesetransitionsandplanhowwomencanbesupportedtostayincoaching,orhowtheycanmanagetimeawayfromresponsibilitiesandthenreturninasensitivelymanagedway.Havingthesepoliciesinplacewillshowyouvalueyourwomencoaches.Promotingtheexistenceofthesepolicieswillhelpwomenrecognisethattheirpositionwithinyourorganisationisvalued.

Itmaybethattheissuedoesn’tbecomeapparentuntiltheyarenotdoingtheirjobasexpected.Forexample,beinglatefortrainingconsistently,ornotplanningasessionthoroughly.Initialdiscussionsshouldbeapproachedinasensitive,empatheticandnon-judgementalway.

Theinitialstageofsupportingacoachthroughmanagingadifficultpartoftheirlifeisessential.Dependingonthesituation,thinkaboutthefollowing:

• offering the coach time off

• offering professional counselling

•providingherwithapersonalcontactwithinyourorganisation(maybeawelfareofficer)

•confirmingthepositionwithintheclubisstillhers,butyoumayneedsomeonetostep in to take over in the interim

•providingaclearwayofkeepingtheclub/organisationinformedoveraperiodoftimethatismutuallyacceptable

•reassuring,empathisingandkeepingincontact.

It is up to the organisation how these transitions are supported to ensure the coach can take time off and return to her post when it is appropriate to do so.

Sense of belonging

Keepintouchwithyourwomencoachesandkeeptheminvolvedincoachingsurveys,localandnationalnetworks,andaskforfeedbackonhowyouasanorganisation are doing for coaches.

Allcoachesfeelvaluedwhentheybelongtoagroupandtheirpositionisrecognised.

Moving house Movingcity/country

Nolongerfittoparticipate Disability(ofselforpartnercaringforachildorotherfamilymember)

Havingchildren(pregnancyoradoption)

Divorce

Caringforchildrenorfamilymember Change of jobs

Menopause ‘Milestone’birthdays

Death of a loved one Children leaving home

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Raise her profilePublic recognition and awards

Recognisingtheworkyourcoachesdoisimportant,itcanbewhatmotivatesthemtocontinue.Recognitioncantakemanydifferentforms,butitdoesn’thavetobecomplicatedorcostly.Thesimplestistosaythankyou.

Presentationofcertificatesfortrainingorqualificationcanbemadeatlocalcommunityevents,witharticlesonwebsites,socialmediaorpress.

Receivingnominationsandawardsforyourcoachingisaveryexcitingwayforwomencoachestoberecognisedbyyoursport,yourindustryorotherwomen.

Doyouprovideafemalecoachingaward?Therearetwopointsofviewhere.Firstly,havingawomen-onlyawardwouldraisetheprofileofwomencoachesingeneralandwouldeasilyhelptoidentifywomencoachingrolemodelswhocanbepromotedthroughyourcommunicationschannels.Ontheotherhand,thismayappeartomarginaliseorsetwomencoachesasidefromtheirmalepeers,whichcouldleadtoseparatingyourcoachingworkforcebygender(whyshouldn’twomenbeabletowinyour‘CoachoftheYear’award?)

Theobjectiveshouldbetohaveacoachingawardthatreceivesequalnominationsfor both men and women coaches.

Inbothcases,beingnominatedregardlessofwinningcanbuildself-esteemforthe coach and start to create those positive role models that coaching needs. The publicityitcanproducecanbepricelessandcanverymuchbelinkedtoraisingtheprofileofwomencoaches.

Build into the plan time and resources to:

• investigate the various awards that can be linked to coaching

• identifyhowandwhoshouldnominatethecoaches

• offerpublicityaroundthenomination

• proactivelysupportthenominationofwomencoaches

• monitorthenumberofnominationsyoureceiveandthewinnersfromeachcategory.

Further information on criteria set out for various coaching awards can be found in the Additional Information Folder.

Ambassadors

Ambassadorscanbecreatedtosupportyourworkinpromotingwomencoaches.Theymay/maynotbedirectlylinkedtoyoursport,buthaveapassiontopromotethisspecificarea.Formaximumimpact,ambassadorsshouldhaveahighmediaprofilewithcredibilityintheareaofsportand/orcoachingandbe‘onmessage’whenpresentingthekeyfactsaboutwomenincoaching.Theyshouldbehappyforyoutousetheirimageandwordstopromoteyourwomencoaches.Theambassadorwillbespeakingforyourwomencoachessoyoumustensurethattheirworkisreceivedfavourablybythem.

Role models like herArolemodelcanbedescribedasapersonwhoservesasanexampleofthevalues,attitudes and behaviours associated with a role.

Womeninthemediacanberolemodelsforotherwomeninlife,butinsportandcoaching,womentendtoidentifymostwith‘Someonelikeme’.Assuchitisvitalthatyounotonlycelebrateandpromoteyourhigh-performancefemaleathletesandcoaches,butalsothewomenwhocoachatalocallevel.Beingacknowledgedbyyoursportandpromotedasarolemodelisverypowerful.Thisrolemodelislikelytostaycoachingiftheyfeeltheircoachingisvalued.

Coachesareaccessiblerolemodelstosportsparticipants:theymotivatepeopletoplaysport,beactiveandkeepcomingback.Itisvitalthatyousupportandpromoteyourwomencoachesifyouwanttoretainyourparticipants.

• Boysarepredominantlycoachedbymen:thatwillshapetheirperceptionsofawomen’sroleinsportfromanearlyage.

• Girls need to have a coach that can empathise with them and support them to stayactivethroughoutpuberty–atimeatwhichsportingactivitylevelsdrop offdramatically.

• Womeninthecommunity:therearemanywomenwhoarethemselvesactiveandholdapositionofinfluencewithintheirlocalcommunity;theirabilitytogetpeople motivated should be directed towards leading their own sessions and promotingphysicalactivitylocally.

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How do you market role models?

Showthevalueyouplaceonyourfemalerolemodels–promotethemtotheworld!

Casestudiestellastoryandgetamessageacrossinawaythatpeoplecanidentifywith. Use pictures of the coach being role modelled to help create an emotional link withthereader,andthinkaboutfurthercontent:

• Howdidshegetintocoaching?

• Whodoesshe/hasshecoachedandwhy?

• Whatarehermotivationstocoach?

• Whatisthebestpartofcoachingforher?

• Didsheovercomeanychallengeseitherbecomingacoachordevelopingasacoach?

Theideaisthatthewomenreadingthisstorycanrelatetothiscoachandthink‘I’mlikeher,Icandothat’.Assuch,alwaysfollowthiscasestudywithdetailsonwhatnext steps the reader can take to get into coaching. Make the access to further informationaseasyaspossible.Ifpossible,directhertowardsapersontospeaktoatalocalsportsofficeorclub.

Men as coaching advocates

Aswehavediscussed,menmakeupthemajorityofthecoachingworkforce.Assuch,theyhaveanimportantroleinadvocatingcoachingtowomen.Forexample,these could be:

• participantstheycoach

• mothersofchildrentheycoach

• women within their social circle.

One of the most important routes into coaching is through participation. To help all coaches coach women and girls effectively we have created Coaching Women and Girls, which can be found in the Additional Information Folder.

Advocates can also be male role models in sport and coaching and can use their media status to promote the value of coaching to women.

Recognisingtheunequaldistributionofpowerthatmenhavearoundtheworld,theUNlaunchedtheHeforShecampaignin2014.

Developing as a coachToensurewomenstaycoachingitisimportantthattheystayengaged,motivatedandvalued:promotingasensethattheybelongtoyourteam.

To identify ways that can develop your women coaches, see the Develop Factsheet.

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Think about:

• supportavailableinternally

• available budget

• available formats for support

• what women want.

Retain

What we do now What we want to do

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Partners

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