How to get There?

Organisations should identify the gaps between what they want to achieve and what they already have; this is known as a gap analysis. This includes any organisational staff if applicable. Have staff the capacity and skills to implement the plan? If a volunteer led organisation, have the volunteers and clubs the capacity to implement the plan?

Organisational and Board Support

For any plan to work, it needs to be fully embedded and supported by the entire organisation, including the Board and any committees underneath with responsibility for coaching or elements that support coaching.

Scoping and researching

What can you learn? Who can you learn from? Don’t reinvent the wheel. Chances are that whatever you develop as a sport to recruit, develop or retain coaches, already exists in another sport for you to copy and/ or tweak as required.

  • Your own sport - What projects with a gender equality focus has your sport run in the past? Can you learn from the findings?
  • Other sports - What coaching projects have been run in other sports (in any country) in the past few years that you could learn from? What sports have demonstrated cultural change to make women feel more welcome in the organisation and can you replicate?
  • Desk research - What research have you found to increase your knowledge and help build the case for more programmes/initiatives for women in coaching? For example, the Sport Ireland Women in Coaching Report.
  • International research - What programmes have been run in your sport in other countries or by your sport’s international governing body?

Chapter 1: Planning Suggested Actions

  • Design a template for the organisation that can be used to outline your plan.

  • Communicate to all stakeholders to make them aware that your sport is developing a plan for increasing coaching numbers and supporting the development of coaches.

  • Ensure the scoping out and researching phase is factored into the action plan.

  • Review your coaching pathway to ensure it represents female coaches and make it visible to them. For example, female images used, increased communication and circulation of information regarding coaching courses, etc.

  • Provide regular updates to the Board of your organisation, including an; Introduction Brief (to explain the plan you are developing and why), Project Plan Brief (to present your action plan for women in coaching once developed), plus midway and conclusion updates as required.

  • For large organisations, stressing the importance to other staff and Development Officers of the information in this toolkit is vital. Host a staff webinar to outline your Action Plan for Women in Coaching, include them in the development of it or simply make them aware of the key points highlighted in this toolkit or in the Sport Ireland Women in Coaching Research Report.

  • Establish a Women in Coaching Action Plan for your organisation.

View your action list