Developing your female coaching workforce

Developing female coaches

Introduction

This factsheet is one of a series, produced by WSFF and sports coach UK aimed at coaches who coach women or who are interested in coaching them in the future. Each factsheet  provides insight into the female athlete and her needs, and guidance as to how better to coach and support her.

Developing female coaches 

This factsheet focuses on the reasons for the under-representation of women in coaching and steps governing bodies of sport, national agencies and women themselves can take to address this.

The other factsheets in the series include:

Key links: 
sports coach UK
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developing_female_coaches_2770.pdf
[email protected]

Women and Football Coaching

Female Coach Development is an innovative project aimed at sustaining the participation of teenage girls in football through the provision of more qualified female coaches. This three year project will produce a coach development model that demonstrates how barriers faced by women who wish to embark on a career in football coaching can be overcome to provide more qualified female coaches.

Overview

The London Playing Fields Foundation along with partners has  developed a programme that aims to get more women involved in coaching football.

Project detailsProject duration: 01 October 2008 - 01 October 2011
Organisation: 
London Playing Fields Foundation
Project name: 
Female Coach Development Project
AudienceAll women
Age group: 
16 - 24
Innovation
There has been little support for grassroots coaches wishing to progress from the Level 1 Certificate to Level 2 despite the significant increase in required levels of technical knowledge and understanding of the game. This project has tried to address this need by providing a mentoring system whereby the candidates are able to receive one-to-one support from a mentor throughout the duration of their Level 2 certificate. They not only have the opportunity to watch taster sessions, but to deliver and receive feedback on their own performance. At the end of the preparatory course each mentor completes an action plan for the coach so that they are able to identify and work on their weaknesses.
Recruitment and promotion
LPFF worked with the five County FA’s to recruit participants to the project. It also posted information on the County Sports Partnership website and directly contacted local women’s leagues. The project was officially launched by Hope Powell, England Women’s National Coach, on 16th October 2008 at London Marathon Playing Field, Greenwich. Hope was joined by her Assistant Coach Brent Hills, Faye White and Emma Byrne from Arsenal LFC and Anita Asante from Chelsea LFC. The event was attended by project funders and partners and it received good coverage in the local and trade press. In December 2009 Hope Powell returned to the project to celebrate its successful first year. The event received press coverage via the FA, London FA, Fair Game magazine and local press.
Location
Local
How was your project delivered?Football
Funding
The project has acquired funding for a three year period from various sources including Football Foundation, Jack Petchey, Nike, Sportsmatch and the London Marathon Charitable Trust
Partnership
London Playing Fields Foundation set up a project Steering Group comprising: London FA, Essex FA, Middlesex FA, Kent FA, Surrey FA, AFA, London Football Coaches Association, WSFF and SELKENT League. The Steering Group monitors the programme in terms of achieving its outputs and outcomes, ensuring that the project co-ordinates with existing structures and initiatives. It also checks that the project meets the needs of the target groups. In addition it is a forum for generating new ideas on how the project can continuously be improved, especially with a view to planning for future expansion and sustainability. LPFF works closely with the London FA to enrol candidates on their Level 2 courses and to support the recruitment of Level 1 coaches. LPFF and LFA have also worked in collaboration with two Girls Centres of Excellence to establish Saturday morning coaching clinics in order to introduce girls to the game.
Results
Lessons: 
The project has just completed its first year and twenty five coaches completed a preparatory course and enrolled on a Level 2 course. All of the fourteen coaches who took their final assessment achieved the Certificate and this is a source of great encouragement and inspiration for new coaches joining the project. The feedback from the coaches has been very positive: “The preparatory course really set me up with confidence and knowledge for the week. It also motivated me and I look forward to the Level 2 course.” “I think watching the mentors deliver sessions and seeing what was required and expected of us and then delivering sessions taking on board things that they had employed was a very effective way of learning.” A number of monitoring tools were used to capture data from participants during their involvement in the project: -Application form -Attendance registers -Outcome Star -Post preparatory course action plan -Coaches’ feedback form -Quarterly monitoring following completion of the Level 2 Certificate course Of the fourteen Level 2 qualified coaches ten are currently coaching; with four prevented from doing so by injury, work commitments or travel overseas.
Evaluation: 
The main problem that we have had to overcome is recruiting a group of young people with the appropriate ability and experience with whom the coaches could work during the preparatory course practical sessions. The Football Development Officer has worked closely with local clubs to recruit boys and girls teams for each block of sessions.
Themes

Facilities

Other

The venue for the project is London Marathon Playing Field, Greenwich, a dedicated mini-soccer centre and base for the SELKENT league. The pavilion is gender-friendly and the ground regularly hosts girls mini soccer tournaments for leagues and local schools. Through the project the ground has been designated London’s female coach development centre so that it can become a central venue for the delivery not only of preparatory courses but also for female coaching masterclass sessions.

Growing and sustaining participation

Tackling drop off

The purpose of the project is twofold: 1. To increase the number of qualified female coaches in the game 2. To retain the number of girls playing football By increasing the number of Level 1 and Level 2 coaches in the game it is envisaged that they will become role models for the girls they are coaching and they will provide a more empathetic and cooperative style of coaching. In doing so it will encourage more girls to stay engaged in the game therefore tackling the drop off in participation by teenage girls. The project involves the delivery of a five week preparatory course aimed at providing the coaches with an introduction to the demands of the Level 2 course. It also gives them the opportunity to watch the delivery of practical sessions and to deliver and receive feedback on their own sessions. During this preparatory phase the coaches become familiar with the Level 2 course content and their confidence increases.

Workforce development

Coaching

The focus of the project is to support more female coaches through their Level 2 certificate so that they are able to make a contribution to the female game either in a paid or voluntary capacity. The coaches are assigned to a mentor during the preparatory course who follows their development through the Level 2 course until the final assessment. The mentors are on hand to give advice and support to the candidates who are encouraged to return to the preparatory course sessions to practise their mock and final assessment topics if they require. The coaches are offered a year’s free membership to London Football Coaches Association so that they are able to access its programme of masterclass sessions and newsletter which features coaching and employment opportunities.

Talent development

Player pathway

The project provided London FA with financial assistance to subsidise candidates on Level 1 courses. Any outstanding candidates are identified by the tutors and recommended to join the Female Coach Development project to complete their Level 2 certificate. Outstanding candidates from the Level 2 course are recommended to the Girls Centres of Excellence, with five of the fourteen successful candidates now working within a C of E.

Confidence and self esteem issues

The purpose of the project was to provide the female coaches with the confidence to enrol on and to complete the Level 2 course. The courses are male dominated and this can be intimidating for some female coaches, particularly those that do not have a high level of playing ability. The preparatory course introduces the coaches to the topics covered by the course and makes sure they are aware of the technical and practical elements that they will be required to demonstrate. It gives them the opportunity to practise these sessions in a supportive environment and to receive feedback from the mentors and fellow coaches. The levels of confidence before and after the preparatory course have been measured and a marked improvement in the levels can be seen at the end of the course.

Health & wellbeing

The ultimate aim is to sustain the participation of girls by increasing and improving the female coaching workforce, so there will be a health benefit in terms of fewer girls dropping out of the game.

Key links: 
http://www.lpff.org.uk/whatwedo_projects_details.aspx?id=758

Women in coaching

This fact sheet is provides a starting point for those looking to develop their own projects aimed at getting more women involved in coaching.

Since 2000 the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) has delivered targeted workforce development programmes to encourage and enable more women to become involved and develop as sports coaches.

In collaboration with other organisations that have run similar programmes nationally, we make some key recommendations about growing, retaining and sustaining your female coaching workforce.

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Developing_your_female_coaching_workforce.pdf

The player pathway for women and girls

This factsheet will assist coaches and clubs in developing the player pathway for women in their sport.

We need to better recognise that women and girls take up sport at many different ages and life stages. Governing bodies need to ensure that women of all ages are encouraged and supported to progress and reach their potential. After they have reached their peak, sports should also ensure that they are not lost to the sport.

 

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The_player_pathway_for_women_and_girls.pdf

Women into Coaching 2

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Case_Study_offline_Women_into_Coaching.pdf

From August 2006 until July 2008 the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) managed a project that enabled 159 women across London to pursue sports coaching careers through the Women into Coaching  2 – London (WiC2) positive action programmes. Women were able to gain coaching qualifications across 8 sports up to Level 3 through this learner centred programme. It also looked to increase awareness across the sector of the range of issues faced by women in sports coaching and to provide further evidence of the future needs of women and girls.

Project detailsProject duration: 01 August 2006 - 01 July 2008
Organisation: 
Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation
Project name: 
Women into Coaching
AudienceBME, Deprived communities, Disabed
Age group: 
16 - 24
Age group: 
25 - 40
Age group: 
41+
Innovation
The project targeted women who may not have had the opportunity to become involved in sports coaching without the programme. Training was no longer cost prohibitive and the participants were able to access one to one support throughout the Women into Coaching scheme. The delivery relied heavily on partners, but it also helped them in addressing their own workforce development issues.
Recruitment and promotion
We produced fact cards to promote each sport and coaching opportunity. These were distributed via a number of regional meetings and events organised by strategic and delivery partners. Our partners were also very proactive – promoting the project through their websites and brochures. Press releases were distributed as well. The majority of the applicants found out about the project online. 325 women expressed an interest in the programme, although we did receive feedback that it could have been better promoted outside of the sector.
Location
Local
How was your project delivered?Swimming, football, badminton, cricket, rugby league, gym based, gymnastics, basketball, water sports
Funding
The project was funded through the European Social Fund's Objective 3 so it was co-financed by the Learning and Skills Council.
Partnership
Strategic partners for the project included; Skills Active, London South Bank University, Sports Coach UK and the Pro Active London Community Sport & Physical Activity Networks. Project delivery partners included; English Gymnastics, The FA, Asian Action Group, Amateur Swimming Association, Rugby Football League, Amateur Rowing Association, Badminton England, England Basketball, England and Wales Cricket Board, London Community Sports Network, Richmond and Kingston College – Centre of Vocational Excellence (COVE).
Results
Lessons: 
We found that recruiting appropriate mentors to support the women on the programme was difficult. We had anticipated recruiting 70 to support the women but we only recruited 14. The participants who had the oppportunity to work with the mentors gave very positive feedback.
Evaluation: 
Of the 159 women who gained coaching qualifications through the Women into Coaching (WiC) programme, 85% are now coaching in clubs and the community. The project also raised awareness of the barriers that women face in relation to coaching amongst partner organisations and gave them ideas and information as to how to address these barriers. The project also succeeded in raising the profile of women as coaches, managers, leaders and role models through the women involved in the project themselves.
Themes

Coaching

Women into Coaching (WiC) enabled 159 women to be involved in sports coaching, development and leadership and to take their chosen qualification. The project focused on addressing potential barriers like cost, childcare, transports and providing a supportive environment including mentoring for the participants.

Confidence and self-esteem

One of the barriers the project looked to address was women’s confidence to train and practice as coaches. This was done through the project partner and mentors. Having an induction session for all women enrolled in the programme was also key as it provided an opportunity for people to ask questions about things they were unsure of and to meet the project manager face to face. The project manager was a key point of contact and support for the women on the program so this was seen as quite important. Women only courses were also accessed where possible so as to provided a non threatening training environment.

Women and girls in judo

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Case_Study_judo.pdf

The women and girls in judo project focuses on creating environments to encourage the retention of female members (including special needs members). To do this we have created a Female Club Model. We provide the opportunity for female members to practice together at club, area and national levels and develop and promote models of good practice in all technical areas. We also deliver seminars and workshops to encourage good practice and create a positive image of judo through promotions and merchandise.

Project detailsProject duration: 01 April 2009 - 31 March 2010
Organisation: 
British Judo Association
Project name: 
Women and Girls in Judo
AudienceAll women
Age group: 
0 - 15
Age group: 
16 - 24
Age group: 
25 - 40
Age group: 
41+
Innovation
The programme has changed the competitive grading scheme to a non-competitive scheme after decades which has made judo a more appealing sport for women and girls.
Recruitment and promotion
We recruited current members and promoted the new grading scheme through the British Judo Association (BJA) website, Matside Magazine, coach events and direct mail.
Location
National
How was your project delivered?Judo
Funding
The women and girls in judo programme was funded by Sport England.
Partnership
We partnered with Positive Futures to deliver the programme to hard to reach groups.
Results
Lessons: 
As we develop the programme we would like to recruit female coaches to develop and run the sessions at the regional level. We would also like to do some work with improving the attitude around female judo coaches. We would also like to promote this project more directly to potential coaches, and put in a coach development strategy.
Evaluation: 
The project has been a great success as we have seen an increase in females grading. When you compare the numbers from 2007/08 to 2008/09, there is an increase of 35% in senior female players and 24% in junior female players.
Themes

Working with hard to reach groups

During the project we identified and encouraged clubs and officials who cater for people with disabilities through club development and providing them with an opportunity to compete and participate in special needs events. We also provided workshops for coaches on working with special needs players.

Tackling drop-off

We continue to identify and consult clubs who have a high percentage of female members. We advertise and utilise the development officers' contacts to spread the word at a club level.

Workforce development

We have organised and promoted events to promote female continual professional development (CPD), coach revalidation, UK coaching certificate (UKCC) and Instructors Awards for females only.

We are working with the volunteer section of the BJA to build models of good practise to encourage more female into refereeing and table officiating.

 Promotion and marketing

We have begun a campaign to promote women and girls judo with new graphic designs for all of our promotional materials. We also set up stalls at all BJA's major events and send direct mail to members over the age of twelve.

We also email our contacts list and have been developing a Facebook page.  BJA continues to use role models at area and national events and seminars. Will be developing resource booklet of successful British female judo players soon.

Key links: 
British Judo Association
Positive Futures
Matside Magazine
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