"Coaching in the UK is a hostile environment for women" - Part 2
Part 2 is here..let's dig through more of the research. This time the focus is coach development and progression.
This is the second 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 here:
The first part looked at employment conditions and explored how coaching is an unstable career. This instability has a greater effect on female coaches.
The second part will look at coach development and progression exploring some of the headline findings about career pathways and CPD.
Coach Development and Progression
“Coach career pathways are ill-defined across the sector.”
The research found that there is a clear lack of structure and clarity about coach career pathways and development.
This absence of clarity can make it difficult for coaches to understand and gain the relevant experience and development needed to progress into different roles. Where there is a lack of structures (organisations, clubs and NGBs), this disruptions affects everybody but will affect those who are marginalised more.
Developing a career in coaching is confusing and hard to navigate. It can sometimes feel like others have a map that I don’t have access to.
“Access to personal and professional development is inadequate.”
Development plans are feedback are essential for progression. Personal development plans (PDP) are the exeception in coaching rather than something that is the norm. Only 1 in 5 coaches at the grassroots level and 1 in 2 coaches in performance and talent environments have a PDP.
In a system that is already difficult to navigate for marginalised coaches, including women, the lack of feedback and support around personal development make it difficult for promotion, progression and retention.
I’ve not had many internal chats about my own development. I’ve tried to drive conversations. I’ve aimed to drive my own development - it’s a skill I’ve worked on. I love learning and development but would have loved more support with it along my journey.
I have chats with other coaches, check in with mentors, aim to visit other environments and pay for courses. I try and get a blend of different types of learning environments.
I’m currently working on my own coaching development plan (I’ve neglected it for a while). After it’s finished, I’ll share it with my network for their thoughts and support.
“Sex discrimination inhibits progression for women.”
The research indicated that 38% of women believe their gender negatively impacts their progression. The impact of the bias is greater as women progress through the coaching environments (grassroots - talent pathway - performance).
Coaches reported discrimination that included being: demied access to leave, denied pay, denied flexible working, threats of dismissal, discrimination in recruitment, denied opportunities for development, denied opportunities for promotion/progression.
79% of female coaches believed they have been discriminated against due to their sex. The research explored CEOs views into the flexibility of coaching roles (or lack of) and their perception of misogyny, particularly within hiring. The report suggested a gap between lived experiences of female coaches and the awareness of leadership. There is a clear need for organisations to undergo education, reflection and assessment into their practices.
Alot of this section in the report reflects some of my own experiences. Coaching is still a boys’ club.
I sometimes have a feeling of helplessness. I am just one tiny portion in a huge machine. How can I affect change, especially when I feel at the mercy of decisions and discriminations?
Change takes all of us; in small pockets of support and large groups of resistance. Something that seems small, like having a network or someone to talk to, can help when things are really tough - I know this from experience. Knowing the data and reading reports doesn’t make the lived experience as less difficult. It can make you feel less alone - a feeling which is often a blessing and a curse.
“Continuous professional development (CPD) is underfunded, with women impacted most.”
CPD is often considered a key part of sports coaching. 40% of all coaches are left to pay for their own development. Women in high performance are often less likely to have their CPD paid for by an employer. According to the report, this is something CEOs are aware of.
32% of CEOs believe they have set aside a budget to develop, recruit and retain female coaches. However 68% recognised that they hadn’t.
Women already face a disadvantage within the coaching system, by adding the need to drive and fund their own development it makes a unclear and discriminatory system even worse.
I’ve had to self-fund alot of my own development. Most of this money has come from family. They’ve paid for courses, experiences and levelled qualifications. They don’t have unlimited money and not everyone has this privilege.
I wish I didn’t have to turn to my family everytime I wanted to improve and learn. Sadly coaching currently doesn’t enable me to have the financial flexibility for me to pay for my own courses and there’s no other funding options that are readily available.
What can we do?
A coaching career is messy and filled with barriers. There are no clear pathways to progression and development.
There’s alot that needs to be done on a national level. There’s alot that can be done at local level too. Organisations need to thoroughly examine their practices and the lived experiences of their coaches. They also need support (and to be open to support) to do this.
As a female coach this is a non-exhaustive list of the things I need that focus on coach development and progression:
Clearer coach development pathways - including a recognition of flexible working
Funding for CPDs, which is fairly distributed
Ensure there are regular opportunities for feedback and discussions about progression. Any actions will be followed up within an agreed timeline (no empty promises)
Make hiring and promotion processes fair and transparent. They need to be less reliable on ‘who you know’ to ensure there is less discrimination.
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