As you may be aware, there’s been some growth of Care Coaching Creativity that is beyond a Substack newsletter. I’m so proud of the newsletter and the amount of resources there are.

(I’m thinking about a way to activate some of the previous content, but for now a quick reminder that the website is organised into different tabs for you to find different topics)

Webinars

Alongside the articles, this Summer there’s some webinars. Each one looks at a different topic: period-friendly clubs and sessions, coaching contact and coaching craft. For each webinar I’m joined by a superstar guest: Sasha Squires, Dan Lycett and Russell Earnshaw will help make this Summer your time to learn and reflect.

Register and find out more here:

Each webinar will be held on Zoom. The webinars are available for subscribers and non-subscribers alike. The recording will be available afterwards for paid subscribers.

Support networks

There are two whatsapp networks designed to help build your support network. As a coach/person working within sport, having a good support network is vital.

There is a whatsapp group for any subscriber. It’s a place to share ideas and support each other.

Here is the link to join:

There is also a whatsapp group for women+ coaches. This is open to female coaches, in any sport, anywhere in the World.

It’s a place to support each other, chat and share ideas. We also have regular online meet ups for people to connect with each other.

Here is the link to join (pass this onto anyone you know):

Help me continue to build the work

Here’s where you come in. Your feedback is vital to help me find topics that are helpful. It also helps me build up new projects and gather feedback. I’m working on something new alongside the articles, newsletters and webinars, and you can help me with this.

I’ve created a survey to gather some feedback, it takes approx 5 minutes of your time, and I would greatly appreciate you filling it in.

Fill in the survey here

On the 22nd June Sasha Squires and I will discuss ways in which you can make your club and training period-friendly. Sasha will bring her experience from her role as Periods in Sports Lead for Freedom4Girls. We’ll look at why period-friendly approaches matter within sport and what a strategy looks like on and off the pitch.

Click here to register for the Period-Friendly webinar on 22nd June

The webinar will be held on Zoom. In order to attend, please register using the link above. The webinars are available for subscribers and non-subscribers alike.

The recording will be available afterwards for paid subscribers.

Join in, bring your questions, get ready to boost your practice!

In this episode of Challenging the Game, Jess speaks to Emily Handyside who is Coaching Team Lead at UK Coaching. They chat about what needs to happen to ensure female coaches thrive, how to recuit and retain female coaches and experiences of coach development.

Subscribe to Coaching Care Creativity, a newsletter and site for coaching, for coaching women’s rugby, for coaching with care and creativity

Music: TVARI - Tokyo Cafe

Buy Jess A Coffee

Following the article on adding elements to preseason so it doesn’t feel like ‘fitness, fitness, fitness’, here’s some activities that you can bring into a preseason training session to focus on defence. You can also use these activities all year round. I’ve listed them here because you can easily slot them into a preseason session.

I’ve focused on the principles of play: go forward, support, continuity and pressure. Each PoP has a technical station and a game station. Both stations add in fitness, but it’s less overt. Rugby fitness is diverse, it’s important to stress this through a range of different activities. Defense-focused preseason training can help with this message through activities like races and contact wrestling.

Build upon strong foundations by using Contact Confident activities in preseason and in the regular season. The programme contains examples such as bearcrawls and partner carries that are ideal for preseason technical or fitness stations.

Why your support matters

Go Forward

Game station: Races

Split players into two teams. Make sure there is a mixture of sprint pace across the teams to make it fair. Ask players to find a member of the opposition who is roughly the same pace as them. The players race against someone from the opposition. If a player wins that race, they get 1 point for their team. The team with the most points wins.

You can vary this by giving one player a ball and making another player a defender. If the defender tags them, the defender wins. If the ball carrier scores a try, they win. Players can start from the same line or you can angle the cones so the defender has to track the ball carrier down.

Technical station: Partner carries

Every player finds a partner. They line up and must race to the finish line. Each race is a different type of partner carry. The partner carries could include piggybacks or wheelbarrows. Check out Contact Confident for a video on different partner carries and how to coach them.

Support

Game station: Double tag

Play a game of touch. If the defending team make a double tag (2 people touch tackling the ball carrier), then the ball is turned over. This game is best suited for larger numbers (5v5 or more). You can make the playing area larger to make the defenders work harder.

Technical station: Bearcrawl squares

Set up a number of squares using cones. The squares should be a minimum of 3mx3m. Players must bearcrawl round the squares, but they face the same way at all times. This gets them moving fowards, right, backwards and left all in a bearcrawl. This is ideal to work on fundamentals of ruck, scrum, maul and tackle.

Continuity

Game station: Gainline game

Play a standard game of touch rugby. If the defenders make 3 touches that get the attackers behind the gainline, the ball is turned over. You can level this game up in challenge and intensity by adding a rule: the defenders now must get the attackers behind the gainline twice in a row to win the ball. This increases the focus on continuity in defence and increases the fitness challenge.

Technical station: Repeated tags/tackles

Create a small playing area. Give the attackers an overlap (2v1, 3v2). The ball carriers have to score on the tryline, if they do they turn and burn (attack the other tryline). Attackers have 3 rounds of attack before swapping. The defenders aim to continously make touch tackles, hugs/wraps or tackles. Each time a tackle is complete (this will vary depending on the scale of contact), the defender must aim to make another tackle. The defenders aim to continuously get up and make tackles to force the attackers to make a mistake. The fitness comes from the repeated energy in defence (especially if using the 2v1 version).

Pressure

Game station: Defend the zones

Split the pitch into 3 zones. Attackers are allowed 4 touch tackles in each zone. If the defenders pin them in a zone for 4 touch tackles, the defending team gain points. If the attackers don’t escape the 1st zone, the defenders get 3 points. If the attackers don’t escape the 2nd zone, the defenders get 2 points. If the attackers make it to the 3rd zone but don’t score within 4 touch tackles, the defenders get 1 point. If the attackers score, the defenders don’t get a point. The defending team has 3 rounds to defend before swapping. The team that has the most points wins.

Technical station: Rip and wrestle

Organise players into pairs. Give each pair a ball. Players start with the ball in between them, with both their hands on the ball. On your signal, they must continuously try and rip the ball from each other for 30 secs. If a player successfully rips the ball away, they score a point and iimmediately reset. After the 30 seconds, the player will the most points wins. Winners move to a different partner. If it’s a tie, both players stay. The activity resets and players go for another 30 second round. This continuous activity is a lower level contact exercise, but it helps players get confidence in contact as well as develop their fitness.

It’s also a great reminder that rugby fitness can look like a range of things, including being fast and being strong.

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? None of the regular content is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

I’m always really proud of the content and community that is built through this Substack/newsletter.

Articles twice a week plus a podcast is alot of content, so it’s often good to take a pause and reflect on some good bits. It serves as a chance for me to reflect as well as an opportunity to revisit/read any bits you may have missed.

Here’s some of the top read

1. Postpartum Return to Rugby

Jo Perkins and Izzy Moore returned to talk about the new global return to rugby guidelines for postpartum players. There’s two options, one for elite and one for grassroots players.

2. A Week 1 Session Plan for Players New to the Game

It can be daunting to know what to scale up and scale down for players new to rugby. Here’s a handy session plan that you can tweak

3. The Benefits of Team Sports for Perimenopausal Women

Laura Wallace explains her work which looked at perimenopausal women taking part in walking football. There’s some benefits listed which can help you reflect on your sessions and potentially include them in your recruitment tactics.

4. Are Girls Dreaming of Becoming Athletes?

Women In Sport’s research looked at the dream rate of girls. This research is vital for rugby coaches as the report looked at results after the Rugby World Cup.

5. Get the Stats Story: Women’s Six Nations and Your Team

Sam Larner returned to preview the Six Nations. He also discusses how to measure stats in your team, including what’s helpful and what’s not.

6. Coaching in the UK is a Hostile Environment for Women - Part 1

This research from Women In Sport was heavy and important, so I split up my articles and experiences into 4 parts. The final part has just been released. Read part 1 here which looks at the employment landscape for coaches.

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? None of the regular content is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

Following the article on adding elements to preseason so it doesn’t feel like ‘fitness, fitness, fitness’, here’s some activities that you can bring into a preseason training session to focus on attack. You can also use these activities all year round. I’ve listed them here because you can easily slot them into a preseason session. Rugby fitness is diverse, it’s important to stress this through a range of different activities. Attack-focused preseason training can help with this message through activities bearcrawl football and turn and burn,

I’ve focused on the principles of play: go forward, support, continuity and pressure. Each PoP has a technical station and a game station. Both stations add in fitness, but it’s less overt.

Why your support matters

Build upon strong foundations by using Contact Confident activities in preseason and in the regular season. The programme contains examples such as bearcrawls and partner carries that are ideal for preseason technical or fitness stations.

Go Forward

Game station: Bearcrawl football

Bearcrawls are fundamental for skills across attack and defence, including: rucks, scrums and tackles. This game means that everyone bearcrawls and aims to score by rolling or throwing the ball in the opponent’s goal. The activity gets players looking to go forward in attack whilst working on some contact skills that will be valuable if they’re looking to get clean and quick ruck ball in attack

Technical station: 1v1

Exactly what you’d imagine. Split players into pairs. This is a rapid activity that takes place in a small playing area. One ball carrier versus one defender. The defender attempts to touch-tackle the player, with a two handed touch. The attacker aims to use their speed and footwork to get to the otherside to score. Limit the time between repetitions to increase the test of fitness.

Support

Game station: 2 touch

Play a game of touch rugby. The ball carrier can keep running after the first touch, but they cannot score. After the second touch they stop and pass. Challenge players to run in support after the first touch to allow the ball carrier to pass before they get touch tackled a second time and the rate of play slows down. Limit the number of players and have multiple game stations to stretch the support and fitness.

Technical station: Piggy in the middle

Set up a small circular playing area. Give the attacking team more players (3v2, 4v3). The attackers attempt to pass between each other without the pass being intercepted or touched. If the ball is touched by a defender, the person who threw the ball and the defender swap. Players can run with the ball and pass in any direction. However, the pass cannot be shorter than 1m and the players can’t pass back to the person who passed them the ball.

Continuity

Game station: Offloading hugby

Hugby is where players play a game of rugby, but instead of it being a full tackle a defending player aims to wrap a ball carrier. This can help players work on their tracking and wrap in defence, it’s also helpful to still work on contact principles without players going to ground if the ground is firm due to the Summer heat. Focus on attacking principles by adding in an offload rule. If the ball carrier is wrapped, they must stop, if there is a support player there within 3 seconds the ball carrier can offload. If there is no support player, the ball gets rolled through the legs similar to rugby league.

Technical station: Fall, present and pop

Split players into small teams (3v3 or 4v4). If the ball carrier is touch tackled, they must fall to the floor, move to present the ball or pop the ball to a teammate. If they’ve presented the ball, the next person acts as scrumhalf to play the ball. This gets the players working on falling correctly, presenting the ball or popping the ball to a teammate to keep the ball alive.

Pressure

Game station: Turn and burn

Play a game of touch rugby (adapt the rules depending on your team). Add a turn and burn. As soon as the try is scored, the attackers retain possession and now look to attack the other tryline. The keeps the intensity and pace of the game high, as well as applying pressure to the defence.

Technical station: Kick chase

Although a kick chase would also fall under a defensive session as well. The focus here is on regaining the ball to score. Split players into small groups (4v4, 3v3). The attackers must score via a kick. The players or coaches can choose what type of kick (depending on what kick you want to focus on). The game is fast. Limit the time between repetitions to speed it up. Give the attackers a time limit to get as many scores as they can before swapping attackers and defenders.

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? None of the regular content is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

What are the shields?

The Raeburn Shield and Utrecht Shield are lineal titles. It is essentially: ‘winner stays on’, on a global scale. Beat the holder and you take the prize off them.

In 1871, there was the first ever international, Scotland beat England at Raeburn Place and become the first holder of the men’s title. In the women’s game, France beat the Netherlands in 1982, in Utrecht, and become the first holder.

Whoever beats the holder takes it. If you’ve got it, you defend it every single match, home or away, and the next team to beat you takes it off you. It’s playground rules applied to the entire history of international rugby and I just think that’s brilliant fun.

The work started in 2008 with a group of rugby nerds online talking stats after New Zealand had lost the World Cup. We were all messing around with the idea of what if rugby had a winner stays on title.

It was one of those daft internet conversations that probably should have died there, but I looked at it and thought that it could genuinely add something to the game. Everyone else drifted off eventually and I just kept carrying it.

The shields are fan driven. It wasn’t created by a sponsor or a governing body trying to manufacture a product. It came from people who genuinely love rugby. And honestly, that’s why I think it resonates.

I also think in decades rather than years. Long after I’m gone there’ll still be rugby fans arguing over who’s going to take the Shield next, and I really love the idea that I helped add something lasting to the game I care about.

The history of the game

Tracking the titles doesn’t necessarily tell you who the best team in the world is. What it tells you is who took their opportunity when it came. That’s the bit I really love.

You get these moments where maybe a side isn’t the best team overall, but for one day they rise up and take the title. Over time the great teams still tend to emerge because it’s incredibly difficult to hold onto these things for any length of time. You just have to keep winning.

Fans live on stories. Rugby is built on stories and meaning and little moments that become part of the game’s folklore. The response online has shown that massively.

People instantly understand the jeopardy of it. Suddenly a match has this extra layer where one result can completely change the direction of the title. That emotional hook really lands with people.

At one level it’s just data and results. It’s basically an algorithm. However, what I’m actually trying to do is tell stories and create a narrative thread through the history of rugby.

I can connect players from over a hundred years ago directly to players today through the same title. In the women’s game that’s especially powerful because I can connect today’s players directly back to the trailblazers from 1982 who played in that first international and who are still around to engage with and celebrate.

There’s something quite magic about that. It’s like this hidden layer of rugby history that’s always existed, we just hadn’t surfaced it properly before.

Why does it matter?

The shield adds meaning without changing the game. You don’t need extra fixtures or you don’t need another tournament. The shield adds a new layer onto matches that already exist. Every game suddenly carries jeopardy. If you’re the holder, you’re defending a global title every single time you step onto the pitch.

In New Zealand (my home), we have the Ranfurly Shield in domestic rugby. People talk about “shield fever.” It completely changes the atmosphere around matches.

There’s this sense of “you’re not taking this off us,” and equally for the challengers it’s this huge opportunity because you might only get one shot to take it.

That same magic exists with the lineal titles. One game, one chance, and suddenly you can become world champions. Fans absolutely connect with that because sport lives in those moments.

History of the Women’s Game

The women’s game has this really unique birth story because it’s modern enough that many of the players who started that journey are still around. That’s incredibly special. You can directly connect today’s players and fans with the people who built the foundations of the international women’s game in 1982.

The Utrecht Shield creates this continuous thread through all of that history. It gives us a way to celebrate the trailblazers, connect generations together and surface stories that maybe haven’t always had the recognition they deserved. That’s a really powerful thing for growing the game, because history and identity matter.

There are some brilliant stories and facts. The Black Ferns held the Utrecht Shield for 20 straight matches between 2002 and 2009 which is just ridiculous dominance, especially when nobody even knew the concept existed at the time.

South Africa held the Raeburn Shield from 1937 until 1953, although there was a world war in the middle and they only played 12 matches. Romania were effectively world champions for a period in the 1980s which is one story people always love.

One that still feels wild to me is that Canada never held the Utrecht Shield until 2024 despite having some incredible teams over the years and being such a major force in women’s rugby. There are also little quirks in history like Great Britain briefly holding the title in the women’s game before disappearing entirely. I actually love those strange bits because they reflect rugby history exactly as it happened.

I took the Utrecht Shield back to Utrecht in 2022 for the 40th anniversary of the first women’s international. That was incredibly special. We got the shield into the hands of players from that original 1982 match, and suddenly this thing stopped feeling like an idea and became real.

Since then I’ve become quite cheeky about sneaking it into places it probably shouldn’t be. During Rugby World Cup 2025, I got it into the Brighton stadium and into Ashton Gate for the semi-finals.

We actually got it down into the stadium bowl during the England versus France semi-final and even managed to get it into a BBC photo from the day, which made me laugh quite a lot. Those little moments are brilliant because you can see people instantly connect with it.

Why your support matters

How could the sport tell it’s stories better?

I think rugby sometimes gets too obsessed with four year cycles and building towards World Cups. Obviously the Rugby World Cup is the pinnacle and should absolutely be treated that way, but there’s room for more stories alongside that, not fewer.

Sport lives in moments. A single upset, a single challenge, a single chance to take something off somebody.

Teams can do more to embrace those moments and connect the stories of players and generations together. Fans don’t just connect with trophies, they connect with narrative and emotion and jeopardy. The more rugby leans into that side of itself, the stronger it becomes.

For grassroots clubs and teams: just give people narratives they can grab hold of. The beauty of the Shields is they don’t ask for more rugby or more pressure on players, they just add significance to what’s already happening.

If clubs and teams can surface those stories better, people naturally buy in because humans love stories far more than they love fixture lists.

Check out the Utrecht Shield and the stats

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? None of the regular content is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

Why your support matters

Preseason in the Northern Hemisphere is almost here. This time in our sport has a perception of fitness, fitness, fitness. Broncos, burpees, no balls allowed.

This perception can harm recruitment and attendance. Over the next 3 weeks, I’ll go through some ideas you might want to use in your preseason. These include focuses on attack, defense and different activities to bring into the mix.

The purpose of preseason is to get players engaged and prepared for the season. Let’s dial up the fun, increase engagement and make it purposeful.

Before you begin your preseason, focus on a couple of targets. These goals need to be achieveable and be supported/co-created by the players. Think about what a good preseason would give the team and what good might look like.

This post focuses on what else you can bring into your preseason. Bringing in other sports and other opportunities to connect can help.

A reminder of other articles that might help:

Sign up to the Summer webinars

I’m a big believer in bringing other activities into your rugby team. They can bring a physical and emotional boost to your players. It can also just add variety into your programme, which is key to keeping people engaged.

In previous seasons, I’ve developed a friendly competition for players to see how many points they can collect in a month. Players could get points for reading, going to the park with a ball, doing a workout at home, doing yoga or cooking a new recipe. It emphasises preseason as a period beyond ‘fitness, fitness, fitness’.

Here’s a list of activities you can add to your preseason plans

• Pilates/Yoga - This could be sending out video links for players to do at home, video links for players to do together as a group (there are a range of good instructors that have videos online). You could also hire an instructor to come to the clubhouse or taking part in a session as a group.

• Running/Walking club - Organising a time to meet up and go on walks or runs as a group is a great way to make the fitness feel different. The idea of a running club can be scary if players are worried about their fitness, so grouping players together or having a walking/walk-job option for people might relieve some nerves.

• Swimming - I love swimming so I don’t need an excuse to get into the water. Going to a local pool as a group can be a great way to offer different ways to be physically active. Lane swimming have different option for people’s pace. However a family/no lane session is an opportunity for players to relax as well as swim.

• Film night/BBQ - These options might seem obvious but including opportunities for social time away from fitness is important. A BBQ can also be a chance for the players to bring family members.

• Karaoke - Before this turns into a list of things that I want to do this Summer, hear me out. You don’t have to find a karaoke business for this. Open up the clubhouse, grab a microphone and put some lyrics on a screen and you’ve got an enjoyable social. Bonds for the season are forged in these moments.

• Multisports/Races - This can be a family day out or just for the team. Organising a range of competitions and activities for your team can get them physically active without it feeling like a chore. You could include school sports day style races (like the 3-legged race), volleyball or football. If alot of players are interested, you can split them into groups to compete for an overall team trophy.

• Bootcamp - I’ve spoken about a bootcamp before. The idea of a bootcamp is for it to be a short programme over 4-6 sessions (this makes it different from the perception of preseason being broncos for 2 months). Whilst it is fitness, it’s underpinned by having adaptations and modifications for everyone. This makes it accessible. Bring the music, create stations where players work in pairs to support each other and make it applicable to rugby and general fitness (passing stations, bearcrawls and lifting tackle columns).

PS…did you know there’s a whatsapp group for subscribers and one for female coaches? Join them to grow your support network, share ideas and chat to other coaches and sportspeople

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? None of the regular content is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

Terms like “gamification” and “video-game style sessions” are dotted all over the place in coaching right now.

Whilst I understand the benefits and have bought into a lot of the practices, I struggled to hold all these different rules, points, and constraints in my brain while actually trying to coach.

So began a search to find ways to offload some of the cognitive load while retaining the benefits of the approach. I wanted to find a way to physically put the rules into the hands of the players.

Whiteboards seemed promising; but our space is solely outside, I drive a tiny hairdryer on wheels, hate the clutter, the pens never work, and I swear the rain knows exactly when I get them out. It had the potential to be another problem rather than a solution

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Enter: UNO.

I bought a blank deck of playing cards for £3.50 (Amazon stocks them) and pulled out 14 cards. I wrote different skills on the cards that I wanted to see displayed and practiced. These are normally designed around our training block focus, but I also carry blanks and a general pack which includes prompts like:

• Receive a kick without it bouncing

• Kick to find grass

• Complete a miss pass

• Score from a set move

• Turn a defender’s hips to the corner of the pitch (language my team knows, encouraging footwork before contact)

• Form a 3-man pod and use them in an attack

• Make a tackle on the first receiver (I put this one in twice to encourage more consistent pressure)

For ease of travel, I store the packs in a business card holder, with a post-it wrapped around to separate the packs. They’re labelled so I know what Im looking at.

I vary the levels of difficulty on the cards. Some are written with one specific person in mind; others are applicable to the whole squad. (If you’re one of my athlete’s reading this, skip the next sentence….) You can definitely be sneaky with the shuffling in this version of UNO.

Set up the game

• The rugby rules can be adapted to your chosen levels.

• Split in the group into two teams.

• Shuffle/organise the cards for each team.

• Give each team a stack of cards.

• Allow each team the chance to have a quick strategy huddle.

• Each time you play the game, vary which player you give the stack of cards to. This gives different players the chance to lead the huddles.

Terminology: In the current group that I coach, we speak about three ways to score - ‘over’ (the defence), ‘round’(the edges), and ‘through’(the defence).

The rules of the game

During gameplay, the principles of UNO apply:

How to Win: The first team to successfully execute all their skills is the UNO Champion.

Step one - Execute: Create an opportunity and complete the skill written on your card.

Step Two – Discard: Hand the card to a coach. If the coach agrees you executed it properly, you get rid of the card.

Step Three – Jeopardy: Down to one card? Everyone yells “UNO!” This adds jeopardy and generates pressure on the other team.

This game works successfully for me because most people already know the rough principles of UNO, meaning the rules are embedded. It effectively offloads my cognitive load of tracking levels and goals.

Tip for success: For your literal, black-and-white thinkers, you may wish to pre-frame that this is “in the style” of UNO, otherwise they can get caught up on the differences.

Variations to Try

Mirror Decks (Tactical Warfare): Give identical decks to both teams, and explicitly tell them they have the same cards. Players will start trying to guess which card the opposition is going after, using that info to block the attack.

It results in more scanning, better reading of an attack, and ultimately more detail in communication than any other prompt I’ve found. We love some tactical warfare!

Power Cards: Give the teams special cards. This might be an “Extra Time” card (to add a minute to the half when they recognize they have momentum), or a “Huddle” card (scaffolding them to take control of calling their own huddles). You could bend and adapt this concept to almost anything.

Player-Authored Decks: Ask every individual write a card and add them all together into a deck. Suddenly, the whole team is working to create an opportunity for a specific individual to execute a cross-field kick. (Watch out here, though: sometimes they try to break the game and all write “make one pass”).

Challenge to the readers: I’m sure there’s a clever way to add “+4” or “Wild” cards in there, too. I’ll leave that to your creativity!

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? None of the regular content is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

Join the Summer of learning with 3 rockstar acts! I’m excited to announce 3 webinars on topics to help your coaching practice and team. Sasha Squires, Dan Lycett and Russell Earnshaw will help make this Summer your time to learn and reflect.

On the 22nd June Sasha Squires and I will discuss ways in which you can make your club and training period-friendly. Sasha will bring her experience from her role as Periods in Sports Lead for Freedom4Girls.

Click here to register for the Period-Friendly webinar on 22nd June

Join Dan Lycett and I to chat about coaching contact on the 20th July. Dan brings his experiences from coaching a girls rugby team and from his role as Head of PE and Sports at St David’s College.

Click here to register for the Coaching Contact webinar on the 20th July

Finishing off the Summer rockstar series, Russell Earnshaw joins me on the 10th August. Rusty and I will chat all things coaching craft, and I can’t wait!

Click here to register for the Coaching Craft webinar on the 10th August

Each webinar will be held on Zoom. There are registration links for all 3 are above (You’ll also get some reminders to register ahead of each webinar). The webinars are available for subscribers and non-subscribers alike.

The recording will be available afterwards for paid subscribers.

Join in, bring your questions, get ready to boost your practice!

In this episode of Challenging the Game, Jess speaks to Dr Ed Hall who is coach developer, consultant and reseacher. They speak about coach development, including their own experiences, where coaches can find additional opportunities to support and challenge players at training.

Subscribe to Coaching Care Creativity, a newsletter and site for coaching, for coaching women’s rugby, for coaching with care and creativity

Music: TVARI - Tokyo Cafe

Buy Jess A Coffee

It’s been two years since I clicked the option to add paid subscriptions onto this Substack. I wanted to thank you all whether you’re a new subscriber or been with me since the beginning.

I also want to take some time to explain my approach and the content.

When I first decided to add paid subscriptions as an option, I instantly knew what model I wanted to use. I use the ‘Tip Jar’/’Support’ model. This keeps content free but enables people to have paid subscriptions to support the work. I also link my Buy Me a Coffee page onto the articles. So that people can send one-off ‘tips’ if they choose to and are able.

I chose this because I believe the content should be accessible. If you’re a coach or someone who’s struggling (cost of living etc) but wants to learn and engage with topics to support your players, then this work is here to support you. Being a coach can be a costly experience - especially the process of learning and development.

I also use this model because it means when someone does choose a paid subscription they’re investing in the work and enabling the content to continue to be free for those who can’t afford.

I’ve just elected to go full freelance/consultant, which is scary. Currently I’m booking in work that I’m excited about (I have space if you want to chat about something for yourself, your club or your team - drop me a message).

Going freelance and continuing to keep the regular content accessible for everyone is a choice. It’s one that I’m standing by. Does this make things tough for a bit, especially as I’m also writing my doctorate right now? Yes. Do I firmly believe that coach development, topics about supporting players and being creative, female-centric and authentic should be accessible? Also yes.

So why am I writing this? Partially as a thank you to everyone who engages with, subscribes and supports the work. It’s also a reminder. So that when/if you support it’s a reminder of why you’re supporting it.

I love producing the content. I love it when people tell me how they’ve used an idea or activity. I’m also always thinking of what else to add to the regular content (something is coming this Summer).

So thank you, to everyone who subscribes, everyone who shares the content, everyone who choose a paid subscription or uses Buy Me a Coffee.

Let’s push onto the next two years and more together!

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? None of the regular content is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

This is the third part in a series examining some of the headlines of the research conducted by Women in Sport and Leeds Beckett University.

Check out part 1 and 2 here:

The first and second part looked at employment conditions, coach development and progression.

This part will look at culture and inclusion

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Culture and Inclusion

“Coaches’ sense of belonging is shaped by their personal characteristics and working environment.”

Belonging is “feeling valued, respected and able to contribute fully to the role and the organisation’s activities.”

The report focuses on an intersectional approach to belonging. What makes one person feel like they belong will be different to another person. Organisations, therefore, must foster belonging in ways that ensure everyone can be valued.

One in four female coaches do not feel like they fully belong. 63% of female disabled coaches felt a sense of belonging compared to 70% of male disabled coaches.

I’ve worked in grassroots and professional organisations and often I was in a flux of belonging, between high and low, depending upon the sub-environment or team I was operating within or the task I was doing that day.

“Bias fuels negative assumptions about the competence and abilities of female coaches.”

4 in 10 women believe their gender negatively impacts how their competency is viewed. Female coach representation, especially as a coach moves along a pathway, is low. The report also highlighted that women feel they have to work harder than their male counterparts in order to be recognised for roles.

It’s no surprise then, that women feel like they don’t belong in sporting organisations. It’s hard to look round a room and see no one like you in a similar role to you. That automatically makes you feel like you don’t belong. I’ve been in organisations where I’ve been the only female coach, including the only woman on committees

“Women coaches feel less heard and valued in their coaching environment.”

The report revealed that women feel they are listened to less and the more they progress along a pathway the less they feel they are listened to. This perpetuates a male-dominant echo chamber, even when women have a seat at the table.

Being repeatedly not listened to or feeling like your voice is not valued will lead to feeling disrepected and, therefore, a lack of belonging.

In meetings, it can be a battle to be heard. I’ve been in discussions where I’ve made a point and two minutes later a male coach has made the same point. This happened once as a method of allyship as the male coach was aiming to amplify my point and myself.

I make a commitment to myself to not take group meeting notes. I write notes for myself. However, I do not take meeting minutes so that I can be present in the meeting instead of feeling like my presence is ticking a box but I’m just there to take nice notes.

"Women are less likely than men to feel comfortable being their authentic selves while coaching.

Not feeling at ease in an environment can mean that someone doesn’t show up in a way that’s authentically them.

Having to diminish or change who you are can affect your ability to develop your own coaching and form meaningful connections. It can also make you feel marginalised.

Being able to be yourself is the key to growth, engagement and honest contributions. Therefore, fostering belonging is the key to a successful coaching team.

“Negative cultural experiences impact the retention of women coaches.”

The amount of female coaches decreases the further along the grassroots - high performance continuum.

The report showed that not feeling valued, heard or respected were the main factors in why women stopped coaching. However, the report showed that a third of women who had stopped coaching would consider returning if the cultural barriers were addressed.

The majority CEOs interviewed in the research said that their boards were aware of the lack of diversity within the coaching workforce. This suggests the next steps is continued awareness of the issues partnered with long term solutions for organisations and NGBs. That must happen otherwise there will continue to be a drop off in retention of female coaches.

“The Boards and Senior Leadership Teams surveyed are predominantly male.”

When CEOs were surveyed 48% recognised that gender imbalance is a continuing problem for Boards, however only 38% were concerned about the diversity of their executive leadership team.

How leaders view gender equality shapes the lived experiences of the coaching workforce. It is vital to have diversity, including gender, within leadership teams and boards. This includes rugby club committees.

Conversations about gender equality must be had reguarly. It cannot be a check in every International Women’s Day.

What can we do?

Belonging is crucial. As coaches we reguarly talk about ensuring belonging within players. It’s just as important for everyone else. A coach that feels like they belong feels like they are listened to, can engage, develop and are retained.

As a female coach this is a non-exhaustive list of the things I need that focus on coach development and progression:

• Gender equality to be reguarly discussed across all levels of an organisation

• Opportunities to shadow or contribute as a guest within club committees - with a view to gaining diverse views and increasing club members that have committee experience

• Education for coaches and other employees/members on biases

• Support for coaching teams to ensure everyone’s views are heard - how can we develop great co-coaching teams and their meetings/chats?

Read the report here

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? Nothing is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

Chris Wright is the man behind Omega Photography, who’s photos you may have seen whilst reading some of the articles I’ve released.

Sport and women’s rugby contains a series of efforts, emotions, rhythms and skills, alongside a powerful sense of community and advocacy.

I’ve selected 18 images from Chris’ collection. Curated into two portfolios. One explores the dynamism of women’s rugby, the second one looks at women’s rugby’s sense of community.

Chris and I invite you to spend some time with these images, reflecting on the moments captured. Please feel free to comment which one stands out/makes the most impact on you. (You should be able to click on each individual image to view them on their own, as well as part of each collection)

Chris focuses on emotion within his work, both in the subject of his photographs and in the viewers of his work:

“I just hope I capture a moment that means something to someone.”

The dynamism of women’s rugby

The community of women’s rugby

Check out Chris’ work on Facebook

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? Nothing is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

I often think about the different types of interactions we can have within our sessions. Depending on what interaction is used the impact can differ. Each one is useful, but the situation it’s used in can define it’s purposefulness.

Think about a recent session or session plan. Try plotting it’s rhythm. Map out the sessions natural high and low points. This can be on paper or just including in you natural reflections (in voicenotes, in chats with other coaches etc).

You can make notes during a session, film the training, gather feedback from players and/or use a clicker. The session’s rhythm can be physical or mental activity, as well as pace of play.

Having both high and low moments in your session is natural and not a negative. You might plan your session to build in intensity or challenge. A session might also have various peaks and troughs. Depending on the purpose of the session either of these options might work.

Tracking your sessions’ rhythm can include the arrival, the departure, the activities, the rests and the interactions.

The interactions you have may differ each training session and might vary depending on it’s aims.

When reflecting and planning training, I think about the types of interactions I might have with the players. I often vary the interactions I have each session (as long as it fits with the aims of the session).

If I use the same forms of interactions each session, then the pattern and rhythm of the session and the types of communiction becomes predictable. Predictability can dampen impact, enjoyability, curiosity and therefore learning.

Here is a list (there’s probably some I have missed):

Whole group huddles - Coach led or player led

These are the often the most used type of interaction. Often used to bookmark training by being used at the start and finish.

However, coach-led doesn’t have to mean coach-dominated. Limiting how often you speak or how many points you say can help the huddles become more impactful

Challenge: If you didn’t end training by a huddle, how else would you end it. What would the impact be?

1-2-1 chats - In between activities or during activities, coach-player or player-player

Short and concise. 1-2-1 chats players have with each other and with coaches can be small sprinklings of gold. Using them in an activity is an opportunity to give a player a challenge, prompts some reflections from a player or check in with them. Ask if a player wants a challenge first, they may not (for whatever reason) be ready for the additional mental and physical load.

Players will have numerous 1-2-1 chats with each other during training. These might include passing information such as rule changes to other teammates. Provide opportunties for players to reflect on those with each other and their coaches.

Challenge: Count how many 1-2-1 chats you have with players in one session. What story does this tell about your training session?

Small group huddles - Coach led or player led

These could be team chats in a game-based activity. Depending how you co-coach, there might be a coach assigned to each team. They might observe or contribute to the team chats.

These team chats might be called after a try is conceeded (to replicate a match). You could also allow players 2 minutes to discuss a rule change that’s just been made. I also like to use them after I’ve swapped 1 player from each team. New teammates are invited to lead the huddle to share strategies from their old team.

Challenge: Vary when you give players the opportunity for small group huddles, what changes?

Tip from Coaching Care Creativity contributor Andy Stevens: I often use ‘cheat’. Players can call ‘cheat’ in a small group huddle. They then get a secret coaching tip from one of the coaches.

Time outs and freezes - Coach led or player led

These are often used within game-based activities. Calling a “freeze” gets players to stop where they are. This gives you a chance to ask a question or invites players to spot an opportunity. It can also be a good opportunity to praise a passage of play or attempt that didn’t quite work, as well as demonstrating something.

I either restart the game with a 5 second countdown or ask one team to change their positions or plans in 5 seconds before the game restarts.

Player-led time outs can give players chance to organise their own team and have small group huddles. You can also add in rewinds. Players use a time-out and after a quick discussion can call rewind. This allows them to rewind the play back to the previous breakdown (touch-tackle, ruck etc). Try giving teams a set amount rewinds each game.

Challenge: Give teams a set amount of time-outs in each activity/Try measuring how many time-outs or rewinds are used each week? How can you support them when they use them?

Reflections

When reflecting on the interactions you have at training and the rhythm of the session. Think about which interactions you use the most and why. What is the purpose of training, what are you wanting to achieve in it’s pacing and rhythm, and how does it achieve those aims?

For the record, I’m still playing with this…and enjoying the playfulness.

(Shout out to Rusty and Ed Hall for some provocations over the years about interactions)

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? Nothing is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Menopause is considered as one of the last female health taboos. Perimenopausal women can face alot of barriers to physical activity. Having coached teams that had midlife players, I know that team sports can be an amazing avenue for physical fitness, confidence and gaining some “me time”.

Before Laura explains her research into perimenopause and the benefits of team sport (in this case walking football). Here’s a reminder of the articles discussing menopause that are in the archives of Coaching Care Creativity:

I’ve always been involved in sport; as an athlete, fan, and coach, and now in my current role as a lecturer in sports coaching and development.

My experiences have given me a particular interest in girls’ and women’s involvement, and when completing my doctorate I chose to investigate female footballers’ coaching intentions.

Since then I have begun to widen my research focus. As part of a partnership between my university, and the local Active Schools team, each year I deliver a session to their young leaders about working with female athletes.

This highlights the key differences between coaching girls and boys, and discusses some key issues that impact girls and women as they enter and progress in sport. As the majority of Active Schools work involves young people, I briefly mention menopause, but focus more on periods, body image, and breast health.

When talking to the manager after a session, I explained that I didn’t really cover menopause due to the unlikelihood of the coaches working with women of that age (and time constraints of the short session), and this led to a wider discussion of the overall lack of awareness of the challenges that come with this life stage, especially in relation to sport participation.

From here I realised that, although the topic of menopause is becoming more commonly discussed in the news, workplace, and society in general, there remains a dearth of academic literature about sports participation and performance.

Buying me a coffee (starting from £5 or purchasing a subscription helps to keep the work going and means important topics can be discussed, shared and explored. Your support is much appreciated, whether you share, buy me a coffee or purchase a paid subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Menopause and physical activity

The literature available is generally in agreement about the benefits of physical activity on menopause symptoms, and of peer support and menopause information, which many women find difficult to access.

I play walking football myself, and personally benefit most from the social aspect; a result of the camaraderie shared between us all. This got me thinking about how walking football could be beneficial to women as they negotiate their menopause journey.

A further search of literature found some interesting studies about physical activity at this life stage, but was very little involving team sport.

With the unique camaraderie in team sport, and the importance of peer support during menopause, I felt this was an area worth investigating further.

Previous research into menopause and sport discusses benefits of being active, but mainly focuses on individual activity. There is also lots of evidence that although women would like to be more active in this life-stage, many find their activity levels drop (often due to symptoms such as fatigue and discomfort).

The benefits of team sports for perimenopausal women

My study was an exploration of the experiences of perimenopausal women, who were currently playing walking football.

The study involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews, where we discussed their menopause journey, experience of sport and physical activity throughout their life, and their experiences of playing walking football. The aim was to find any potential relationships between these.

I found that most of the women had difficulty in gaining support and information from health professionals, and sometimes also family and / or friends. Regardless of previous sporting / football experience, they all found the walking football community to be extremely welcoming.

Since playing the game, all had experienced improvements in their quality of life; both physically and mentally. They discussed the ease of being active through walking football, which they found genuinely enjoyable, rather than their hitherto ‘clock watching’ at the gym.

They really enjoyed the ‘banter’ between teammates and opponents alike, and discussed how being among others at the same life stage created a ‘safe space’ for discussing menopause, and sharing ideas and information.

The biggest benefits were seen in the women’s mental health, where all mentioned feeling much more positive during and after playing.

Through being active, women are more likely to reach the recommended levels of activity for health, reducing their chances of getting many non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease).

Through team sport women make new friends, gain peer support, and often find they are in a space where they can be open and honest about challenges they are facing.

With women being healthier this will have a positive impact on the health service, workplaces may see more productivity, and wider society will benefit from more people using health facilities, and engaging more with their local community.

Advice to clubs looking to offer sporting provision to perimenopausal women

Don’t make assumptions – ask women what they enjoy, and what puts them off, and try to tailor provision for their needs.

Also encourage them to be open to try new things; many in my study had never considered playing football, and now they absolutely love it!

Don’t forget there’s two Whatsapp groups to chat and connect with fellow coaches and sportspeople:

Female Coaches Whatsapp

Subscribers (of any gender) Whatsapp

Did you know there’s a paid subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? Nothing is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Click the links below to buy me a coffee or upgrade your subscription

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Subscribe now

You may know that I recently set up a Whatsapp chat for female coaches, working in any sport, at any level, wherever they’re based.

I’ve been loving some of the interactions on that chat.

It’s made me reflect about the readers (you!) and how we can extend the community we have.

We have a chat function on Substack, but that doesn’t get alot of use. I want to create a space where we can all chat, share ideas and support each other’s development (and you can hear from me as well, beyond the articles and pods you can via email).

I’m building a Whatsapp chat that’s for Subscribers. So if you’ve subscribed to Coaching Care Creativity you can join.

It will be a space we build together.

Click here to join the chat on Whatsapp

In this episode of Challenging the Game, Jess speaks to Professor Camilla Knight who is Director of Impact, Innovation and Engagement at Greenhouse Sports. They speak about measuring impact in sport, barriers young people face and how coaches can engage and develop better relationships with parents.

Subscribe to Coaching Care Creativity, a newsletter and site for coaching, for coaching women’s rugby, for coaching with care and creativity

Music: TVARI - Tokyo Cafe

Buy Jess A Coffee

A few weeks ago, I published a session plan written by Andy Stevens that looked at what to run when you had players new to the sport mixed with a couple of players who might be more experienced.

Here’s an example session plan from me which includes activities that you could run for players who are trying rugby for the first time. You can also use some of these activities as warm up games for more experienced players or as these players progress. As always, feel free to tweak them in a way that suits you and the players.

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

Activities plan:

1. Game of Tag

How to run it

• Set up a playing area and designate one person as the tagger

• Run the rounds for 2 mins and then swap the taggers

Why it works

• You can see pool noodles in the photo above. The players are playing tag with pool noodles. Extra elements like this help make the game fun and a little unexpected.

• People can turn up to rugby training with some negative preconceptions of the sport. Using unexpected elements like pool noodles can help dispell this. Using pool noodles also means players have to be extra evasive and use their footwork. Give one player pool noodles (you can also give them a ball).

• They must tag other players with the noodle. If a player is tagged, they must freeze and can be released by other player who gives them a high five.

Level up the game

• You can change the number of taggers or change how players release each other.

• Try getting players to perform a 5 second dance move with each other in order to be released - it’s guaranteed laughs!

2. Rugby Netball

How to run it

• Use the same playing area.

• Split players into two teams.

• It can be helpful to make the two trylines clear by using different colour cones

• Players can’t run with the ball, but they can pass in any direction.

Why it works

• This game takes players from a game they might know (netball) and starts to move them towards rugby.

• You can include some activations within the game (ask them to perform an exercise after they’ve passed the ball)

Level up the game

• Add in some progressions by enabling one player on each team to move with the ball but they cannot score. If this player gets touch-tackled, they must stop and pass the ball to a teammate.

• Instead of using trylines, you can create several scoring zones (by creating squares using cones) in the playing area. Teams can score in any zone, but the same zone can’t be scored in twice in a row.

• Create constraints on their passing by asking them to only pass underarm or ask them to vary the type of pass each time their team passes the ball.

3. Multidirectional touch rugby

How to run it

• Keep players in teams

• Players can now run when they have the ball. If they are touch tackled, they must stop and pass to a teammate

Why it works

• This takes the game of rugby netball and adds in rules as a progression to get players running with ball.

• It functions as a middle game between netball and touch rugby.

Level up the game

• Add in some progressions that get players passing backwards: teams must have one backwards pass before they can score.

4. Introduction to contact

How to run it

• Put players into pairs

• Run a series of evasion and tracking activities where players compete against their partner

• Tag the knees: players aim to tag their partner’s knees whilst trying to ensure their partner doesn’t tag their knees

• Bearcrawl tap: each player gets into a bearcrawl position opposite each other. They must aim to tap or pull the arm of their partner, whilst trying to maintain their own balance and good body positioning.

• Grab the bib: Ask players to place a bib in their shorts at their back. Players aim to grab their partner’s bib whilst keeping their own

Why it works

• This gets players thinking and moving in contact-ready environments.

• It works great for players hesitant about contact as there’s no tackling, but it starts to break down the skill into manageable pieces.

Level up the game

• You can also give players a ball between them and ask them to try and rip it off each other.

5. Touch rugby

How to run it

• Put players back into teams.

• Players must now pass backwards all the time

• If the ball carrier is touch tackled, they must stop and pass the ball backwards

• Teams have unlimited touches, the ball is turned over when it is dropped, passed forward or there is a score.

Why it works

• This is the final level of the players’ rugby journey today. They’re now playing touch rugby.

• Don’t forget to celebrate the sense of achievement they will have (especially if it’s their very first session)

Level up the game

• Add in a rip restart: to restart the game after a try, a player from each team comes forward. They both place their hands on the ball, after you countdown they aim to rip the ball from each other. After they’ve ripped it, they must aim to pass to a teammate.

Interactions you can plan:

As well as planning the group interactions you might have with players, aim to plan questions that you can ask individual players and give players opportunities to discuss ideas with their teammates.

When introducing the final game of touch rugby, ask one player from each team to come forward. Give each of them the rules and say they must tell their teammates.

This enables you to focus on the next coach-group interaction which might be in the middle of the game when players are working out where to stand to support the ball carrier and the backwards pass.

Did you know there’s a subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? Nothing is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

I talk about alot of inequality, in particular ones that I have experienced as a cis white woman. I want to discuss one inequal opportunity that appears every year.

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work

We’re approaching the time of year when my feed is flooded with coaching roles and opportunities at clubs.

Alot of them will be coaching roles within men’s teams, often they are the jobs that come with renumeration.

Alot of them will be player-coach job roles.

I hate seeing rugby coaching roles that are advertising for a player-coach. It’s a common job posting for men’s teams.

Advertising for a player-coach within a men’s team automatically means I cannot apply, and have no chance of getting the job. The job will either outright be listed as player-coach or there will be a seemingly secondary option on an advert for the successful applicant to be a player-coach.

I don’t apply for any jobs that are player-coaches with men’s teams, as I can’t fulfill the job requirements. I also don’t apply for jobs that list player-coach as an option.

Although I’m not instantly prohibited from applying, the fact that player-coach is an option makes me think they’re expecting a male coach and there’s no point for me to apply.

Due to the potential differences between budgets in men’s and women’s rugby, player-coach roles are predominantley seen in the men’s game. Therefore it is more likely to disadvantage any coach who can’t play within the team they’re applying to coach. This includes female coaches as well as older or disabled coaches.

I understand that there’s a potential budget problem that can be solved by having a player-coach, however it restricts the pool of potential applicants. (As well as being a tricky job for anyone to complete to the best of their ability - player-coaches have their focus split between being a coach and their own role on the pitch)

Player-coach roles also mean there’s a progression privilege that happens at the grassroots level. Player-coach roles often go to those who are still playing the sport and often at the early stages of their coaching career.

This means that, compared with women, male coaches of a similar age may have an additional coaching job or a ‘step-into’ coaching role that enables an easier progression in their career. A female coach doesn’t get the opportunity and therefore misses out at that rung of the ladder and has to fight to gain the experience another way.

I’m calling for player-coach roles to be phased out. I want equal opportunities for all.

Did you know there’s a subscription option for Coaching Care Creativity? Nothing is behind a paywall so your subscriptions or coffee clicks can help keep the content going. The subscriptions are £5 a month or £50 for the year. You can also buy me a one-off coffee for just £5.

Buy Jess a coffee to support the work