In April 2020, we announced the start of our Track & Field research project in partnership with Leeds Beckett University.
Our aim with this research is to map the current numbers and experiences of female athletic coaches in the UK in order to support the sport governing bodies, coaches and the work of the FCN to ‘ gender equality in high performance athletics coaching in the UK.’
Our research is split into two main stages.
Stage 1: the Coach Mapping Exercise.
In this stage, we look into the figures and stats that make up the coaching workforce. We look at the Top 100 across all events, we look at the number of women qualified in the UK and we also look at the number of female coaches who have been part of International GB teams, as well as those who have been asked to present at a variety of workshops and conferences.
Stage 2: Interviews
In this stage, we speak to the coaches themselves. What are their experiences, what has their coaching journey been like so far and what are their ambitions for their coaching careers.
Stage 1 has now been completed, so we will move into the interview stages over the coming weeks.
The findings of the research will form the basis of a set of specific, practical recommendations and examples of good practice for British Athletics and Home Countries to implement.
It will also provide us, the FCN with information needed to deliver a number of innovative and impactful projects to continue to support female coaches, allowing them to connect, share and develop as coaches.
