Where are all the female head coaches?

I'm going on a bit of a journey (and it's a long read).

Fenwick Media Photograph

This time last week, I read the news that Giselle Mather had left her role at Trailfinders. The story was broke by Fiona Tomas at the Telegraph.

This time last year we were heading into the first season of revamped top flight women’s rugby, the PWR.

Out of the total of 9 teams that completed the league (University of Worcester Warriors sadly dropped out), there were 5 female Head Coaches/DoRs. It doesn’t take a maths genius, and I’m certainly not one, to work out that’s over 50%.

Over the Summer, this has now dropped to 2 female Head Coaches/DoRs: Susie Appleby at Exeter Chiefs and Rachel Taylor at Sale Sharks.

Giselle Mather has left Trailfinders, Vicky MacQueen has left Leicester Tigers and Amy Turner has moved into a men’s pathway role at Harlequins.

I fired out a comment on social media and

Alice Soper

mentioned that it was a similar story in Aotearoa New Zealand in their equivilent of the PWR: Super Rugby Aupiki.

Screenshot from X 29th August 10.35am

So how have we got here?

1 year out from the World Cup and England’s top flight women’s league has 2 female Head Coaches/DoRs. 2 years after Aotearoa New Zealand hosted the World Cup, Super Rugby Aupiki has 1 female coach confirmed so far. These are the top two women’s teams in the current World Rugby rankings.

Ask me anyday and I will tell you the joys and difficulties of being a female coach. This is not to say that there aren’t challenges elsewhere, but I can only speak from my authentic experiences as white, female coach.

I’ve spoken and written about the frustrating realities of being a female coach and published guest articles on sexism within coaching.

Stereotyping

I’ve been assumed to have any other role than a coach, because there’s a bias that coaches don’t look like me. I’ve also had my competency repeatedly challenged, assuming my level of tactical and technical knowledge isn’t proficient for coaching.

I’m not alone in experiencing this. I’ve written before of Professor Sophia Jowett’s work.

"We are brought up and socialised in ways that lead us to think that men are agentic (assertive, strong, decisive, tough) and women are communal (empathic, caring, considerate, nurturing). While these stereotypes are unfounded, they result in making us believe that men make better coaches as they are seen to better fit the societal view of what a prototypical coach leader should be.” -Professor Sophia Jowett

Gender bias and stereotypes mean that male coaches are seen as better leaders and therefore better coaches. In the infographics, linked above and at the end of the article, it also mentions that female coaches have to prove their compentcy repeatedly.

In some work done by Leanne Norman at Leeds Beckett, she examines why the number of female coaches and coach developers in low in the Football Association (FA). Norman states that the lack of female coaches is a symptom of a wider problem, which includes organisation practices.

One of the main findings from the work was that for career progression there needs to be clearly defined pathways and support at each stage of the journey. This is something I’ve found difficult within rugby. I feel any pathway, if there is one, is muddled.

I recently tried to explain the barriers I face and the career path to my Dad using a glass, coffee mug and napkin. It feels as if you have to feel your way through your own journey, climbing up a sheer cliff face with no ropes.

It can feel daunting when there’s no template to follow. There is a loose pathway, but it seems to exist solely for players who have represented their country. I have no problem with ex-international players going onto coaching. However, if it is the only pathway, then we reduce the number of coaches and prevent other experiences and people from progression.

“The underrepresentation of women coaches needs to be understood as a symptom or an outcome of a deeper issue, rather than the problem in itself.” - Leanne Norman

Isolation

If you’re a female rugby coach, then it is an isolating experience. No matter what level you’re coaching or the experience of your players. Simply because, you are on your own.

Returning the work of Leanne Norman, she spoke to coaches to explore microinvalidations. These are seemingly small interactions, like assuming there is someone else in charge because biases say the head coach can’t be a woman.

The constant invalidation of coaches’ competency prevents female coaches from progressing and applying for further opportunities. It also can be exhausting.

I know this, because it happens to me. I’ve experienced it formally within coach education environments and within informal, everyday, situations. The assumption that you have a passing knowledge and lack any in depth information is tiring and frustrating.

(Sidenote: I’ve had some really positive experiences where I’ve been highlighted for discussions or adding insight, and felt valued. If you’ve been one of these people, then I want to thank you, because validation and recognition is powerful.)

“Jackie reported feeling as if she was an “alien” in the all-male coaching world for most of her career. As the only women in her space, she represented the unknown and an outsider. Jackie believed her feelings were partly the product of the culture of high-performance coaching. Being an “only” amplifies surveillance in an already “hyper-surveillant” culture.” - Leanne Norman

So, how do we begin to make this better?

Work has to be done to diversify spaces (and it is). Not just so that more women have a chance to progress in sport, but everyone. It’s my firm belief that diversity in the room will result in a diversity of ideas.

As Leanne Norman wrote, we need to move away from tickbox exercises to try and effect change. It’s not enough to try to increase the number of female coaches if they’re not supported and don’t progress.

Numbers look great on paper: ‘the amount of female coaches increased to X. Job done’. However, if those coaches don’t feel supported whether they’re coaching part time, full time, volunteer, at Championship or PWR, at Inner Warrior or NC3, schools or universities, it defeats the purpose.

We cannot simply flood the system and expect it to change. We have to change the system.

I’m not wholly sure what programs will work and what the changes should be. However, I know that some plans should be created as female-specific and other changes should be made with a view to benefit all coaches and all pathways.

I believe removing barriers to coach education and reforming the certificates is an important step.

I also think regular mentoring, outside of formal coach education, would be valuable. I’ve had some excellent mentors that I’ve used outside of obtaining certificates, shoutout to Russell Earnshaw as someone who is always in my corner and always keen for a chat about coaching.

I keep returning to a pipe dream idea I have about internships. Imagine a grassroots coach and a championship/PWR/Premiership coach. Now imagine them coaching within each other’s environments for a period of time, and the benefits it would bring to both coaches.

I’ve always said that coaching grassroots rugby makes better coaches: different challenges each week, varying number of players, not relying on rugby jargon, the list goes on. Imagine the exchanges between coaches that would happen if there was an internship.

I’ve also another pipe dream about funding for women’s advocates to allow people to be able to amazing work and have long lasting impact.

“All-male collectives become fertile grounds for gendered microinvalidations because they alienate and disempower women through the denial of opportunities to progress which in turn allows the perpetuation of gendered roles and stereotypes that are the basis of gendered microinvalidations.” - Leanne Norman

Another step, is by talking about it. Research is being done. That’s important, but it’s also vital to ensure the research isn’t contained behind the walls of academia. It needs to be talked about, and the voices of coaches and women within sport need to be heard.

It’s one reason why I’ve spent this week writing this piece, and why I’m excited to be a part of Women of Union.

I could be fiercer about my experiences, share horror stories (I can also share positive ones).

But the more we talk, share, advocate and campaign, change will come…it needs to.

Further reading:

“It’s a Concrete Ceiling; It’s Not Even Glass”: Understanding Tenets of Organizational Culture That Supports the Progression of Women as Coaches and Coach Developers

Gendered microaggressions towards the “only” women coaches in high-performance sport

Surviving rather than thriving: Understanding the experiences of women coaches using a theory of gendered social well-being

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