Female coaches

[Anonymous]

Our society asks too much of women in trying to say they can have it all (a career and being all-everything mom). This is because not enough men step up to do more female roles at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s still a man’s world. It sucks.

No one stopping women from being coaches, in fact they are highly sought after.

Exactly, I work and have worked in several fields where women were/are welcomed and sought after but they don't want to do the job. I think with coaching it's more on the side of that than women being shutout.

[Anonymous]

I think it's harder for women to get into coaching. Players are less likely to play for a young female coach and, frankly, parents hold young female coaches to a different standard.

Ideally clubs would address this with their own training/mentorship program. Men and women should spend at least a year as an assistant before taking over their own teams, but that's not the reality.

[Anonymous]

As a SAHM returning to work, and a former soccer player, I wish I could qualify. I have donned coaching for my own sons. I would love, love, to get more training. My younger son doesn’t play anymore. My older one is on a club team, so I’m not needed.

There should be training programs advertised especially to sahms with some playing and rec coaching experience. I have free time and experience with kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a SAHM returning to work, and a former soccer player, I wish I could qualify. I have donned coaching for my own sons. I would love, love, to get more training. My younger son doesn’t play anymore. My older one is on a club team, so I’m not needed.

There should be training programs advertised especially to sahms with some playing and rec coaching experience. I have free time and experience with kids.

Donned = loved

[Anonymous]

Went to BRYC because of the female coaches. If only they were allowed to lead the entire girls side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's harder for women to get into coaching. Players are less likely to play for a young female coach and, frankly, parents hold young female coaches to a different standard.

Ideally clubs would address this with their own training/mentorship program. Men and women should spend at least a year as an assistant before taking over their own teams, but that's not the reality.

Not sure why you would make this generalization. Have a DD and DS, and I remember having a conversation about this very topic with parents of both teams (at different times). Didn’t hear one parent who preferred a male over a female coach. Most preferred a good coach over a bad coach of course, but many actually expressed a desire for their DC to be coached by a female. Asked my own children and they both said they would be fine with a female coach (daughter actually would prefer a female coach).

Did parents or players you spoke to give you a different vibe?

I highly doubt clubs have hiring preference for men over women. I can only come to the conclusion that there are less females applying to be coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's harder for women to get into coaching. Players are less likely to play for a young female coach and, frankly, parents hold young female coaches to a different standard.

Ideally clubs would address this with their own training/mentorship program. Men and women should spend at least a year as an assistant before taking over their own teams, but that's not the reality.

Not sure why you would make this generalization. Have a DD and DS, and I remember having a conversation about this very topic with parents of both teams (at different times). Didn’t hear one parent who preferred a male over a female coach. Most preferred a good coach over a bad coach of course, but many actually expressed a desire for their DC to be coached by a female. Asked my own children and they both said they would be fine with a female coach (daughter actually would prefer a female coach).

Did parents or players you spoke to give you a different vibe?

I highly doubt clubs have hiring preference for men over women. I can only come to the conclusion that there are less females applying to be coaches.

Would be interesting to see a 5 years after college study of where men are and where women are if not playing professionally. Is it more women take other types of jobs? Or are the women getting college level coaching jobs so don’t see them at local clubs? Could better address why don’t see the women without knowing if where else they are going.

[Anonymous]

It's mostly men in charge of the clubs and men's networks are mostly... men. But the men in charge is the inherent problem even if they are not consciously choosing men. I'd venture a guess it likely is more male coaches applying than female coaches as well in the past 5-10 years. If only men apply for an open coaching position at the point they are filling it then well...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Not sure why you would make this generalization. Have a DD and DS, and I remember having a conversation about this very topic with parents of both teams (at different times). Didn’t hear one parent who preferred a male over a female coach. Most preferred a good coach over a bad coach of course, but many actually expressed a desire for their DC to be coached by a female. Asked my own children and they both said they would be fine with a female coach (daughter actually would prefer a female coach).

Did parents or players you spoke to give you a different vibe?

I highly doubt clubs have hiring preference for men over women. I can only come to the conclusion that there are less females applying to be coaches.

In my experience, female players and their parents like the idea of a woman coach. But they are quick to criticize younger women coaches in particular, the same way your women are criticized in other work environments. (Too soft or too mean). There are a number of excellent female coaches in the area (DD plays for one now), but most did not come up through clubs.

[Anonymous]

If the pool of coaches are coming from the pool of former players, wouldn’t the discrepancy of male-to-female ratio be consistent?

I would think every club has more boys teams than girls teams. There are more pro men’s teams than women’s teams. Meaning, starting from the younger ages all the way to the pros, there are just much more males than females in this sport. Isn’t this the more likely scenario (than men’s network including only men, or hiring preference of men, or players unwilling to play for a female coach, or parents holding female coaches to a different standard, or whatever other conspiracy theories people bring up)?

[Anonymous]

When my son played rec he always had female coaches. And they were wonderful! But they were busy moms with other jobs and once their kids joined travel they were done coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Washington Spirit has a really cool female coaching mentorship program. The Spirit helps mentors female coaches each year in an effort to bring in more female coaches.

We have a great female coach at our club. She also has young children to raise, so it’s a real challenge for her and her husband to dedicate time for coaching every evening plus raise their kids.

The challenges are real.

All of this. The Spirit program is awesome (Michele Kang is kind of my hero), but I do think that women generally being the primary parent plays into the issue.

[Anonymous]

I asked our directors about this too, and I was told that if they got 100 applications probably only two would be female, and then the question of qualifications would be considered. Also, I've seen plenty of young women get involved but quit (understandably) due to pregnancy and having their own kids, whereas that is less of an issue with men (not to say they never quit, but most of the male coaches I know do have children).

[Anonymous]

Female coaches are hit or miss. Some are living out their glory days poorly and we've run into a couple that are just there to socialize with their other friends that are currently coaching. However, the best coach we've ever had has been a female coach that had been around for a while. I personally would prefer a female coach coaching my daughter's dream if possible from two equally talented coaches just because they understand the dynamic better. However, I would take a male coach that is more qualified and an overall better coach than a random female coach just because she would check off a box for my daughter's team.