Female Coaching Network and boobydoo Join Forces to Close the Education Gap in Supporting Female Athletes
The Female Coaching Network (FCN) and boobydoo are collaborating to improve how coaches support female athletes through better education, confidence and safeguarding practice, addressing one of sport’s most overlooked yet fundamental performance factors: the sports bra.
As conversations around female athlete health, comfort and performance continue to grow, sports bra education remains largely absent from traditional coach development pathways. For decades, this critical area of athlete welfare has been under-discussed and under-prioritised.
boobydoo has developed the Sports Bra Advocate Course, established as a leading e-learning resource helping professionals understand the importance of correct sports bra fit for health, comfort and performance. The course has recently undergone its first full Quality Assurance review from the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), achieving the top grading of Enhancing for Quality of Education – the highest recognition awarded within the framework.
Building on this recognised foundation, the FCN has collaborated with boobydoo to further expand the course, introducing additional modules and content specifically designed to support coaches in their day-to-day practice.
This pioneering collaboration will deliver bespoke coach education programmes designed to empower both female and male coaches with the knowledge, language and confidence to support their athletes in understanding the health, wellbeing and performance benefits of a correctly fitted sports bra.
These new additions bring coaching expertise directly into the learning experience and include:
- Coach-specific guidance on starting conversations around breast health and athlete wellbeing.
- Safeguarding frameworks designed to support both female and male coaches.
- Role-play video scenarios demonstrating real coaching conversations.
- Expert video interviews with a sports therapist exploring posture, biomechanics and performance impacts of poorly fitting sports bras.
- Practical tools to help coaches confidently support and signpost athletes.
Despite growing awareness around female athlete health, sports bra education has rarely formed part of traditional coach development. This collaboration aims to change that by embedding practical, evidence-informed learning into an already established and trusted education platform.
Vicky Huyton, Founder, Female Coaching Network said: “It’s incredible that after 20 years as a coach and a lifetime involved in sport, I understood so little about the importance of an effective sports bra. I am genuinely excited to be partnering with boobydoo to create impactful work that supports coaches, both male and female, in better safeguarding standards and supporting their female athletes. This is about education, confidence and changing the culture of sport.”
Charly Rhodes, Director at boobydoo said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Vicky’s expertise to the Sports Bra Advocate course. Her extensive coaching career and practical experience bring an invaluable new dimension to our education programme. While we bring over 20 years of specialist sports bra fitting expertise, it was essential to me that we also incorporated the perspectives of professionals working directly in coaching, sports therapy and education. By doing so, we ensure our content is grounded in real-world environments – giving it the relevance, credibility and practical impact it needs to truly support women and girls across every active space.”
This partnership combines boobydoo’s specialist sports bra expertise with the Female Coaching Network’s focus on coach education and leadership, helping ensure that conversations around female athlete support become normal, informed and professionally guided.
The Enhanced Sports Bra Advocate Course is now available to coaches, practitioners and organisations looking to raise standards of athlete welfare and performance.
To find out more about the Sports Bra Advocate Course or learn more about the work of the Female Coaching Network and boobydoo, please visit: https://www.boobydoo.fit/sportsbraadvocatecourse
