Over the coming few months, the FCN and Leeds Beckett University will be undertaking research into the current situation of gender equality in high performance coaching in athletics in the U.K.
Gender equity and equality are central concerns for sporting international federations, having been identified as a core element of sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its links to good sporting governance. However, there remains an acute imbalance of men and women in most positions of authority within sport, including senior management and leadership, as well as high performance (elite) coaching.
The aim of this present study will be to map who makes up the athletics coaching workforce in Britain, understand the experiences of female coaches working at or wanting to work in high performance athletics and gather intelligence as to the organisational processes and practices towards achieving gender equality within the home countries federations as well as British Athletics itself.
The findings will form the basis of a set of specific, practical recommendations and examples of good practice for British Athletics and the home countries to implement to work towards progressing to a more gender equal coaching workforce from competing through to higher levels of coaching.
"The Carnegie School of Sport here at Leeds Beckett University has a long, proud history of gender equity research. That work continues today as part of the Research Centre for Social Justice in Sport & Society here in Carnegie. We are committed to research that makes a difference; we deliver work that has impact and benefit for our partners. And that is why we are proud to work alongside the FCN to deliver this research. Both organisations are dedicated to understanding and addressing gender issues in order to make sure coaching is an equitable, enjoyable, and worthwhile profession for all."
~ Dr Leanne Norman, Reader in Sport Coaching
"This is a piece of research I have wanted to undertake for a long time, and thanks to Dr Leanne Norman and Leeds Beckett University’s huge amount of support for this project, it is now possible to do. The sport of track & field has so many elements to it, and whilst it is an individual sport, there are many pitfalls for women who coach the sport - and the ima of this research is to find out what improvements need to be made to ensure fair opportunities for all coaches."
~ Vicky Huyton (FCN Founder)
If you are a coach, governing body or athlete the U.K and want to find out more about this research, please email us at: info@femalecoachingnetwork.com
If you are a governing body from another sport and would also like to commission this type of research, please email us at: info@femalecoachingnetwork.com
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