Female Coaches Deserve a Chance Too

Where are all the female coaches at?!

I can honestly say that I have never once as a competitive athlete had a female coach or administrator. The only female coach I ever had was when I was six years old and started playing recreational soccer. Although I have always been aware that the majority of my coaches were male, I had not stopped to consider the fact that most coaches are male and that I had not seen many females in coaching or administrative positions in the sport industry. I think this is incredibly sad and the worst part is that most people still don’t realize how uncommon it is for a female coach to be given the opportunity for success.

Female vs. male coaches: Is there a difference?

There shouldn’t be a difference whether women are coaching male or female sports. Frankly, it shouldn’t matter to someone whether their coach is male or female, they should respect them just the same regardless and instead give the coach a chance to prove themselves. I believe female coaches have a lot to offer, both to male and female athletes.

What Female Coaches Bring to the Table

I think both men and women can gain a lot from a female coach. Personally, I have really liked many my coaches but there have definitely been times when I wish I had a female coach. One trait that I think female coaches could bring to the table is developing relationships with each athlete, especially young women, and taking the time to listen to each athlete and support them when needed. Although some male coaches might be better at this than others, my experience with my male coaches is that they are usually afraid of confronting a crying girl athletes, or giving a hug after a big accomplishment. Male coaches are great in many ways, but I think female coaches might be better at building a personal relationship that goes beyond the field. Although, I am not saying this is impossible for male coaches, but I do think it can be easier for athletes, especially young women, to open up to a female coach.

Breaking the Stereotypes

Some male coaches refuse to coach female athletes because of the stereotypes that surround female athletics. A stereotype that follows athletics is the idea that men are stronger, faster, more aggressive and competitive, than female athletes. I think that women can be just as competitive and strong as their male athletes and should be treated at the same level elite male athletes are treated. Both male and female coaches can learn a lot by coaching both men and women sports, and there needs to be more diversity in who coaches what sport. If more women can have the opportunity to coach, then hopefully more women will be granted leadership positions in sports administration jobs as well. If this were to happen, hopefully women players would begin to gain the respect they deserve and the gap between men and women athletics might slowly start to disappear. My hope is that all young women athletes realize their worth and strive to reach leadership roles in the athletic world to help promote equality for all in sport.