Spotlight on local players

When the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off Saturday, female athletes and referees will fill our stadium and TV screens. But when it comes to the overall number of coaches, referees and leaders within Alberta soccer, women are still woefully under-represented.

According to the Alberta Soccer Association, 41 per cent of soccer players in the province are female, yet women make up only 27 per cent of referees. Less than 30 per cent of people who sign up for coaching certification courses are women. And those women who do become coaches and leaders complain of a male-dominated environment, a lack of opportunities to meet other like-minded women, and sexist assumptions.

“People think that if you have soccer balls in your car then you must be a soccer mom,” said Mary Dyck, a longtime soccer and volleyball coach. Dyck and other members of the Alberta Soccer Association’s women’s development committee hope to change this.

A Women in Sport conference coinciding with the start of the FIFA tournament in Edmonton will provide soccer-related training and networking opportunities for up to 60 women.

The conference, at King’s University College this weekend, will offer workshops in coaching, refereeing and leadership skills.

Typically, these courses are led and attended by men.

“Doing the drills with men can be a little intimidating,” said Jolena Pechawis, a 34-year-old coach from Saskatoon who will attend the conference.

Keynote speaker Vicki Harber, a professor emeritus in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Physical Education, said that it’s this lack of confidence that stops many women from stepping into leadership roles in sport.

Alberta soccer officials expect the FIFA tournament will lead to a spike in female soccer participation rates. After Edmonton hosted the FIFA U19 Women’s World Championship in 2002, the percentage of female soccer players in the province jumped to 45 from 35.

But according to Harber, it will take a lot more than one sporting event to increase the number of female coaches and referees in Alberta.

These events, she said, “inspire the next generation of high performance athletes, but they do not inspire the general population to get involved in the sport.”

Convincing more women to coach will require a long-term approach that involves deliberate recruiting, mentorship and networking programs.