Women in Sport is a charity that was founded in 1984, and our vision is that no one is excluded from the joy, fulfilment and lifelong benefits of sport. Recognising that gender stereotypes and institutional bias are holding women back in life and in sport, the charity’s purpose is to create lasting positive change for women and girls in sport and society.
We have a track record of success in securing change based on our deep understanding of the environment and culture surrounding women and girls in sport. Women in Sport is determined to win the battle for equality and is leading the way in influencing the system and campaigning to stamp out stubborn gender stereotyping.
Showcasing female coaches
We’ve created a first-of-its-kind Women in Coaching Image Library to champion and celebrate female sports coaches.
The library contains hundreds of epic images, captured by photographer Suze Eyles, showing female coaches from across sport and the value women bring to coaching every day.
The work, which is part of the Women’s Coaching Taskforce, aims to give female coaches more visibility so helping to normalise the skill, leadership and impact that women can have in coaching roles.
The images (which are free for Sport England system partners) are available on our website and will help to redefine what it looks like to be a great coach.
The project comes from the findings of our foundational research into the experiences of female sports coaches, Reimaging Sport Coaching: Designing a System that Works for Women.
It is part – by no means all – of the solution to the challenges we found face female coaches. This research, and the work that has flowed from is, was funded by Sport England.
Working with our amazing professional photographer and NGBs, we commissioned a set of original photos of real-life female sports coaches doing what they do best, coaching. The photos cover a range of sports at all levels – from grassroots to elite.
We all know female coaches play a vital role in sport. They bring technical expertise, strong leadership and the lived experience that helps women and girls feel that they belong.
Yet in 2026, women are still undervalued and underrepresented in coaching. Our research has found that 30% of female coaches report being bullied (twice as many as male coaches), and are 18% less likely to say their opinions are heard and respected.
Despite good intentions, many approaches still focus on ‘fixing the women’, encouraging resilience, confidence or aspiration, rather than improving the conditions that make it harder for women to enter and stay in coaching.
The issue is not women’s capability; it is the system they work within. The representation of coaches, and the stereotype vision of a coach as a man with a whistle, is part of that system.
We celebrated the launch of our photo exhibition, ‘What Makes a great Coach’ at Manchester’s Central Library alongside friends from across the sports sector.
Speaking at the event, Yasmin Clarke, an elite tennis coach who helped curate the exhibition, described the qualities at the heart of coaching: “A great coach knows the sport, knows the person, and stands beside them.”
These themes are present throughout the image library and act as a reminder of the importance of diversity within coaching roles.
Reflecting on the importance of representation and visibility in coaching, Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of Women in Sport, said: “Having female coaches in sport is a vital part of letting girls dream. It shows girls that women belong in positions of influence and leadership, and ensures girls have someone in their corner who understand their experiences in sport.”
The need to create more opportunities for women in coaching was echoed by Jon Norfolk MBE, Head Coach for GB Cycling, who spoke about the role organisations can play in supporting progress. He said: “As a man supporting women in coaching, organisations like Women in Sport provide best practices, help me articulate my thoughts and give me permission to make mistakes. Let’s not be afraid to dream. Let’s not stop dreaming about what might look impossible today, but might be possible in ten years time.”
We’ve already had approaches from a number of sports and other organisations from within the wider sport sector; both those who are keen to use the photos and those who want to add their own photos, of their sport’s amazing women, to the library.
The large scale canvasses that we displayed at our launch event have also attracted considerable interest from organisations who want to display them at their own offices and events, highlighting the incredible women in the images and the importance of female coaches to sport.
Women already have the knowledge, skills and experience needed to be great coaches, and these photographs celebrate exactly that!
The diversity of women in the images, of the sports they’re coaching and the levels at which they’re coaching demonstrates that female coaches belong anywhere they choose.
We know that this piece of work on its own won’t deliver the transformation to the coaching system that female coaches need and deserve. That change has to be systemic.
You can find our major policy recommendations to achieve this here: Reimagining Sport Coaching: Designing a System That Works for Women - Women in Sport Charity
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