Packed stadiums, growing professionalization, and a 50/50 athlete gender split at the Paris Olympics highlight the growth of women’s sports. However, decades of underfunding, limited opportunities, and sexism are challenges that still need to be addressed, especially in leadership positions such as coaching.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not released data, but it is estimated that only 13% of coaches at the Paris Olympics were female, similar to the level at the Tokyo Games. This trend is mirrored across the sporting landscape, with only a small percentage of coaches at the Women’s football World Cup in 2023 being women.
Female coaches in men’s sports are notably rare. Helen Nkwocha, who became the first woman to coach a men’s European top-division football team in 2021, recognizes that the odds are stacked against her and future employment prospects for female coaches. She feels that the playing field is not equal, as the competition is often against less qualified individuals.
Nkwocha currently works as the director of coaching at US youth football organization Rush Soccer. She has noticed improvements in development and opportunities for female coaches over the past decade, but acknowledges the frustration of slow progress as highlighted by the 2025 International Women’s Day campaign, Accelerate Action.
Tamara Taylor, a national coach developer for the English Rugby Union, also acknowledges the lack of opportunities for female coaches. She believes that visibility is important for aspiring coaches to be able to see someone who is similar to them. While there may be some progress, female coaches still face challenges in terms of equality and opportunities.
Both Nkwocha and Taylor have benefited from programs aimed at redressing the coaching balance. Nkofucha runs a similar program to help the next generation of female coaches, providing them with opportunities to make mistakes and
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/international-women-s-day-female-coaches-battling-barriers/a-71823103?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
