Changing perceptions
Women's Rugby Performance Lead at Bath, Maria Crowfoot, explains why being a being a female role model is important but exhausting. She also discusses how she reflects and looks to other sports.
I’m Women's Rugby Performance Lead at Bath, Head Coach at Bath RFC 1XV and University of Bath 1XV and Bath College.
I started coaching at university. We had loads of first years join and that meant we started to have fresher and 2XV friendlies and they needed coaches. I then worked on some camps in the summer.
I love seeing newer players have that "eureka moment" and rugby seems to click. For other players, I love seeing them develop and start to see their potential. I'm reflecting a lot at the moment on facilitation vs coaching. I feel sometimes I fall into facilitation mode and end up refereeing a game, rather than noticing and giving feedback.
One of my favourite memories is coaching the university side. I showed the players the dancing man video, which is about leadership. I used it to demonstrate bravery and belief. When we scored first in Varsity, a match historically has been a one sided heavy loss for six years, the players reenacted the dancing man video.
It was a special moment that had me smiling and tearing up in equal measures. We won the fixture and made history. We'd never won before and to be able to step back and watch them all celebrate was incredible.
I've learnt to embrace being a role model as a female coach. That’s something I found hard at the beginning. I understand the importance of being one. It can be challenging, the assumption that I'm not the coach can get exhausting. It’s important to pick your moments to challenge assumptions in a calm and polite way and hopefully changing perceptions.
I do go through tough periods, which includes: coaches and referees not shaking my hand, no eye contact and not being allowed to discuss things. I once got shouted at because someone assumed I was the physio and I must help an injured opposition player.
I could probably write a book on these instances. In these moments, I am aware my reactions are being watched. I try to remain calm but call out people. I think it's so important to let people know how their actions can impact me and the team.
I'm now a full-time rugby coach. I want to continue that path to international rugby, but also be part of the growth and development of women's sport. I want to be part of shifting the narrative; no longer being grateful for playing fixtures at the men's stadium, being delighted with new kit or surprised someone wants a player's autograph. I want that to be the standard and expectation.
After sessions, I try to catch-up with coaches for a hot reflection. If training has featured something new, I'll ask players. I'm always keen to know how new players are finding the sessions and environments. Coming into an established team can be daunting, so understanding how they find the environment and sessions is important.
Since the football world cup in 2019, I've fallen in love with womens football. I would recommend that coaches watch other sports. I've picked up so much from watching the WSL and of course the Lionesses. I think the way Leah Williamson, Sarina Weigman and the Lionesses are using football to help change society for women is inspirational.
I'm fortunate to be surrounded by an incredible group of players. They all inspire me for different reasons, but I can see what rugby means and does for them. It inspires me to ensure sport continues to contribute positively to their lives.
Coaching philosophy: to create an enjoyable and memorable environment that enables players the opportunity to develop and thrive