Four in five female UK football coaches report having experienced sexism
Female coaches are being left “exhausted” by a football culture still rife with sexism, new research has claimed.
A survey of 115 UK-based female coaches conducted by Kick It Out found that 80% of respondents had experienced sexism in a coaching environment, while 60% had considered quitting their roles due to the treatment they had received because of their sex.
“Many of the women we spoke to shared their passion and love for coaching but also talked about the exhaustion that came from being regularly undermined, questioned and overlooked in the coaching environment,” said Hollie Varney, the chief operating officer of Kick it Out.
“Football needs to take sexism seriously if we are to boost the number of women in coaching and we hope that findings from this research can be a catalyst to make coaching a more welcoming space for women.”
The majority of coaches surveyed work in youth football, with 86% having completed a coaching course. Of those who said they had experienced sexist behaviour, a majority of instances were the result of behaviour by fellow coaching staff.
Breaking those experiences down, the survey found that 55% of respondents said they had had their opinions questioned or overlooked, while 48% had been questioned about their knowledge of the rules. Thirty-five per cent said they had felt unwelcome in the coaching environment altogether, although 60% said the environment was inclusive.
Clubs were criticised by respondents for not having adequate systems in place to deal with complaints of sexism. This lack of confidence in the system perhaps explains a finding that 71% of those who had experienced sexism on a coaching course had not felt willing to report it.
One coach, speaking anonymously, described the experience that led her to quit the game. “I love coaching and inspiring girls to play football and female coaches are important role models,” she said.
“Unfortunately the past few years have been very difficult personally with sexism from my fellow coaches. I never wanted to take it further because I don’t want to be blacklisted for it but I’m no longer coaching because of the sexism I’ve experienced.
“Clubs need to do better to support the female coaches they have and have a policy in place where action will be taken if sexism is reported to them.”