Why the SheCOACH matters?

The Council of Europe highlights the persistence of gender inequalities in sport, which affect aspects such as access, responsibilities, salaries, media coverage and reintegration into the labour market. Despite the increased participation of women in sport over the last 50 years, women coaches remain a statistical minority worldwide. It is estimated that only 20-30% of sports coaches in Europe are women, with even lower figures for qualified female coaches. Stereotypes, systemic barriers and the over-representation of men contribute to this imbalance. In basketball, a 2020 FIBA survey found that elite female coaches represent 34% of the total worldwide, highlighting the gender gap in coaching.

The masculine culture of sport and stereotypical perceptions pose challenges for female coaches, affecting their motivation and confidence. Organisational factors and the lack of support systems hinder the career development of female coaches. Female coaches are expected to navigate between conflicting expectations, conforming to masculine behaviour while affirming their gender inconspicuously. The European Commission’s proposal on gender equality in sport identified barriers at organisational, interpersonal and socio-cultural levels and highlighted the neglect of gender issues in coaching education.

A 2017 mapping study on sports coaching education revealed insufficient attention to gender issues, highlighting the need for more effective approaches. The European Commission’s guidelines on minimum competencies for coaches mention gender equality as a core competence for safeguarding, but do not address gender mainstreaming in coaching education. The 2022 High Level Group recommendations advocate education, support, campaigns and role models to increase opportunities for women in coaching.

What do we want to achieve?

The SheCOACH project is a multi-stakeholder initiative, involving Basketball Federations, Basketball League, a Coaches’ Association, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), a Higher Education Institution, and private organizations in the fields of sports coaching, and sports education, which aims to contribute to gender equality in sport coaching, by promoting the participation of women in (basketball) coaching education in Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain.

The SheCOACH objectives are the following:

• Enhancing the mainstreaming of gender specific topics/gender issues in sports coaching curricula/education
• Developing the awareness and skills of providers of coach education and qualifications on including gender related elements in their curricula and systems
• Enhancing the awareness of national/regional/local education and/or sports authorities on developing/ implementing policies for mainstreaming gender in the coaching education systems
• Raising the awareness of sports clubs, academies and schools on the benefits of including women coaches and promoting women participation, esp. in traditionally “masculine sports”
• Increasing the participation of women in basketball coaching education/training.

Who do we address? 

The primary target groups of the SheCOACH project are:  

• national/regional basketball (and other sports) federations 
• other coach education providers (HEIs, VET, private), incl. associations/federations of coaches 
• associations/federations of coaches 
• local, regional and national sports (and education) policy-makers.

Additionally, the project targets:

• other sports governing bodies at all levels 
• international basketball (and other sports) federations 
• sports clubs/academies/schools 
• networks of sports associations, actors, education providers at EU/international level 
• the general public.

SheCOACH at a glance: 

Project management and coordination

• Project Management Plan
• Quality Assurance (QA) and Evaluation Plan
• Interim & final QA & Evaluation reports  
• 4 in-person meetings in Nicosia, Murcia, Athens and Milan

Recommendations for coach education and qualifications providers on mainstreaming gender issues in coaching courses and curricula

• Research Guidelines
• National Reports (Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain)
• Report with recommendations on measures to address the gaps in knowledge on gender mainstreaming

Online capacity building programme for coaching education and qualifications providers on gender mainstreaming

• Capacity Building Programme
• Digital modules/e-learning platform
• Piloting and evaluation Report of Capacity Building Programme piloting

Framework for gender mainstreaming in coaching education

• Framework for gender mainstreaming in coach education (in digital format)
• Pilots Evaluation Methodology
• Monthly online monitoring meetings
• National pilots & evaluation reports
• Recommendations for mainstreaming of the Framework in sports education policies/strategies

Dissemination and awareness raising

• Dissemination, Awareness Raising and Exploitation Plan
• Project website, Information material, newsletters etc.
• Social Media campaign 
• Infodays
• Workshops with sports federations and other sports education providers and stakeholders
• Awareness raising for sports clubs/academies/schools
• Policy workshops
• EU level workshops
• International Closing Conference (Milan)
• Final Exploitation Plan

The SheCOACH effects and benefits

During -and after- its 34-month duration, the effects of the SheCOACH project and the benefits to the target groups are expected to be the following:

Short term effects

• Enhanced skills and awareness of (at least 100) staff of providers of coach education and qualifications on including gender related elements in their curricula and systems 
• Increased mainstreaming of gender in coaching curricula/programmes of coach education providers (at least 15 providers by end of project) 
• Increased awareness/knowledge of (at least 50) national/regional/local education and sports authorities on developing/ implementing policies for mainstreaming gender in coaching education systems 
• Increased awareness and understanding of (at least 130) sports clubs/academies/schools on the benefits of including women coaches and promoting women participation 
• Enhanced awareness of other sports governing bodies, as well as international basketball (and other sports) federations, and networks of sports associations, education providers etc. at EU/international level on the importance of mainstreaming gender in coach education at all levels 
• Increased % of women participating in basketball coaching education/training programmes (of project partners and other providers during piloting of Framework -and until end of project)
• Enhanced awareness of the general public about women in coaching and the importance of gender equality in coach education 

Medium term effects

• Increased embedding of gender in coaching curricula/programmes of coach education providers
• Enhanced inclusion of evidence-based knowledge about gender equality in coach education
• Increased % of women participating in coaching education programmes/courses of the project partners and other coach education providers

Long term effects

• Increased % of women coaches in basketball and other sports
• Gender equality in sport (incl. coaching) included in general equality policy making
• Gender equality in sport enhanced.