Hello Ladies,
I apologize for my tardy email - that first week of track is always a busy one!
I am really excited for this season, not only because of the team I have and the way the first week went but because of this women4women group!
Next month I am pumped to take part in not only the University of MN Women's Symposium but also because I am getting the opportunity to represent WISTCA at the Female Coaching Network conference. The first ever coaching conference for female coaches inclusive of all sports, all levels and all nationalities held in England. I cannot wait to learn and network and bring more ideas back to this group! (Check out the conference at https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/)
After signing up I started learning more and more about the association than that is putting it on. WOW is all I can say! There are dozens of organizations in the UK that are supporting women in coaching roles! From what I have found - it appears the U.K. is leaps and bounds ahead of the US in this area.
If you are on Twitter (I am! Follow me at @krakowk) below are some great resources to follow!
Because I think the ladies across the pond have something great going - below is a post from the Sports Coach UK Blog about getting more women involved in coaching!
There are fewer women coaches than men. Why? Well, there could be a few reasons. Some may be put off by sport and physical activity in general, because of negative experiences at school, others might perceive coaching to be a male gendered activity, and not something they could envision themselves doing.
One of the main routes into coaching is through participation. But with fewer women regularly participating in sport, there are fewer women transitioning into coaching, and therefore fewer role models for women and girls to see coaching (and physical activity) as an opportunity for them - the important thing to remember: coaches have a key role in getting more people playing sport, and playing more often.
Challenges – there are a few. But, you know what? It’s time to start making some changes. This is where you, the coach, come in. I agree, the current coaching system isn’t always very supportive of its coaches but things are changing and, gradually, we are seeing more women being active and involved in coaching roles - at London 2012, roughly one in 10 Olympic coaches were women.
Not quite good enough? I agree. It’s time to increase the pool of women coaches.
Many of the women coaches I speak to, talk about a ‘nudge’ they received (usually from another coach) that encouraged them to give coaching a go – you could be that person.
You probably have someone in mind as you are reading this, who you think has great coaching skills. They are organised, they are friendly, approachable and seem to just get things done. A bit like you?
So, who fancies a go at supporting more women into coaching? Weren’t you looking for an assistant to help you out? Being an assistant coach is a great place to start for many women; an opportunity to find their feet and get a taste for what you love about coaching. So whether it’s a player of yours or a mum on the side lines – tell them why you love coaching and why you think they’ll love it too. It’s time to be proactive. You can make a difference.
~Sarah Milner, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, Sports Coach UK, Follow: @smilner_leeds
I hope you have a great week! See attached for a great article called "Helping the Girls Believe they Can", the whole thing is great, but especially page 12 - "Creating the next generation of coaches".
Have a great 2nd week of practice! :)
Click HERE for the attachment.
Tag(s): Resources
