Coaching Teenage Girls

Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport

The Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop emerged from collaboration between Sport Ireland Coaching, Sport Ireland Women in Sport, the Federation of Irish Sport, Life2Good Foundation, who also provided funding which was supplemented by Dormant Accounts Funding.

A team from DCU led by Dr Aine MacNamara & Dr Sarahjane Belton developed the workshop, which has since been piloted and reviewed.

Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport Workshop (3-hours) – Content and Learning Resources

While providing the opportunity to learn, the Sport Ireland Coaching approach teaching and learning is that it is each learner’s (coach’s) responsibility to be open minded and to identify the knowledge, skills and behaviours to adopt to grow as a coach.

Workshop Content:

The workshop is made up of four main modules:

1. Drop-out And Engagement in Girls’ Sport and Physical Activity​
2. Meeting the Psycho-Social Needs of Girls in Sport​
3. Key Considerations for Coaching Girls 12-17 years - Body image & Maturation​
4. Preparing for the Challenges of Adolescence in Girls

Coach Learning Resources

As well as the workshop, which is delivered by trained Coach Developers/Tutors, the learning resources provide for each coach consists of:

• Pre-workshop task: A pre-workshop task to get each coach to think about good coaching practice with teenage girls
• Reflective journal: After each section of the workshop each coach gets the opportunity to consider how the content may apply to their coaching
• Coach’s manual: This consists of the content of the workshop, allowing the coach to read and review what was covered in each section of the workshop
• Let’s Get Real tasks: These are for use post-workshop to support coaches to transfer their learning to their practical coaching, with the girls they coach, in their environment (club, school, community group)

For more information and booking:For more information on booking a CTG workshop please contact:

• Your National Governing Body – many NGBs are customising the workshop and materials and up-skilling their Coach Developers and Tutors.
• Your Local Sport Partnership – many LSPs are organising Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop and have upskilled Presenters and Tutors.
• Sport Ireland Coaching – you can also contact Sport Ireland Coaching directly at - coachinginfo@sportireland.ie

Camogie research

One of the first sports to express an interest in the Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop was the Camogie Association. Sports Ireland Coaching linked with Sport Ireland Research and Evaluation to conduct a review of the workshop and engaged Women in Sport (UK) to conduct it. There followed an organic and interesting project which included the following stages:

1. The customisation of the workshop and resources to Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport in Camogie
2. The training of Camogie Coach Developers/Tutors to deliver the workshop
3. The delivery of the workshops around Ireland over a 2-weekend period to Camogie coaches and gathering their feedback
4. The feedback from teenage girls who play Camogie
5. Identifying the lessons learned ….

Camogie Project Outputs

While the final report of the project will be published in 2023, there were some practical outputs which are available to coaches and clubs. These include:

• Practical Tips from Coaches who did the workshop
• 3 Case Studies from Camogie clubs:
  • Ballyhale Shamrocks, Mungret St Pauls and Valley Rovers Camogie Clubs.

Further reading: The 8 Principles for Success 

Key take Aways from the research

·The 3-hour workshop provides an excellent start-point. Highly valued by both male and female coaches, raised awareness of the challenges for teenage players and stimulated increased understanding, inspiration and action to engage teenagers in camogie

·It proved especially valuable for male coaches as they do not have lived experience and particularly seek more knowledge around the physical and emotional impact puberty has on girls in a sporting context. This is particularly difficult for male coaches to grasp without that specific education.

'From the Ground Up'

Recognising the need for teenage girls to be coached in a manner suiting their physical and emotional needs, the Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop was designed specifically to drive retention of teenage girls in sport. This targeted workshop places an emphasis on Girls-first coaching, ensuring that teenage girls are given an equal opportunity to reach their sporting potential.

The following are three (3) informative promotional videos which outline the development, content and potential impact of the workshop with teenage girls.

In episode one of this 3-part promo series, the key stakeholders, Sport Ireland Coaching Unit, the Federation of Irish Sport and Lifes2good Foundation, set out the background and objectives of the workshops, illustrating why there is a need to provide coaching through a gender lens and understand the barriers facing teenage girls in participating in sport.

In episode two, Workshop Content & Coaches Feedback there is a look behind the scenes at St. Colman’s Camogie Club which incorporates the parishes of Gort, Kilbeacanty, Beagh and Tubber. We hear from those involved in the programme i.e., the coaches and the course facilitators, as they strive to improve the quality of grassroots development for female athletes in Ireland. Brought to you by Sport Ireland Coaching Unit, the Federation of Irish Sport and the Lifes2good Foundation.

To conclude in episode three, Success So Far and Future Workshops we review the success of the workshop implementation to date and look to replicate that success and uptake across multiple sport settings. Brought to you by Sport Ireland Coaching Unit, the Federation of Irish Sport and the Lifes2good Foundation.

Sport Ireland and other useful links:

The following are links to other resources that can support teenage girls and your coaching:

Sport Ireland Women in Sport –Adolescent Girls Get Active: Adolescent Girls Get Active | Sport Ireland

Sport Ireland Ethics – Young Voice in Sport Toolkit: Young Voices Toolkit | Sport Ireland

Sport Ireland Coaching – Coaching Children Resources: Coaching Children & ICOACHKIDS | Sport Ireland

Sport Ireland Coaching – All Island Physical Literacy Consensus Statement: Physical Literacy | Sport Ireland

NIKE – Made to Play: Made to Play: Coaching. Nike IE

ICOACHKIDS – Coaching Children Course and study guides: MOOCs ICK: Log in to the site (icoachkids.org); and ICK YouTube Channel: ICOACHKIDS World - YouTube

Active Disability Ireland – Disability Awareness and Inclusion Training:Training and Education | Active Disability Ireland) Sport Inclusion Disability Charter : Sport Inclusion Disability Charter | Active Disability Ireland and Xcessible Club Toolkit: : Xcessible Club Toolkit | Active Disability Ireland