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Tucker Center Newsletter - 2009 Spring

Letter from the Director

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Professor Maureen Weiss

Twenty-five years ago I published an article about the high rate of attrition among youth sport coaches. Two unintended results emanated from this research—85% of coaches were parents of one or more of their players, and the parent doing the coaching was always the father. Unfortunately, today’s landscape of coaching youth sports has not changed appreciably. In recreational and competitive youth programs all over America, fathers and other male role models still dominate leadership positions.

Title IX provided tremendous opportunities for girls. In 1972, only 1 in 27 girls played high school sports; today the ratio is 1 in 2.5. Such increased participation created more coaching opportunities—so why are so few females coaching young people? Understanding why a phenomenon exists helps us formulate how to effect change for the greater good—in this case, positive sport experiences for girls and boys.

Some reasons for the low percentage of female coaches are sociological. For example, the greater value placed on women’s sports made coaching more appealing to men. And in spite of social progress in the wake of Title IX, some stereotypes die hard—research indicates that athletic administrators and athletes perceive that female coaches are less qualified than males. Psychological reasons include women expressing less confidence and competence to coach even when their training and leadership qualities suggest otherwise.

Whatever the reasons, female coaches are important for children and adolescents. Research shows that women possess the instrumental and expressive skills to be excellent coaches, place emphasis on teaching life skills, and know how to nurture values that transcend sport to other domains. Girls and boys have much to learn and benefit from having their mothers teach and reinforce skills and qualities that sport has the potential to foster.

So how can we make a difference in recruiting women to coach? School-based and community educational workshops have proven successful in motivating and training women to coach. Efforts are needed through professional conferences, coaching associations, and leadership networks to develop curricula and strategies that increase the number of female coaches at all levels.

The scarcity of women coaches is a complex matter that requires community, school, and personal efforts to reverse the situation. The first step is awareness—the intent of this newsletter. The next step is action—we are all responsible for ensuring that female role models are elevated to their rightful place on the courts, fields, and other sport venues across the country.

—Maureen Weiss, Co-Director