Supporting more women to become involved in women's football coaching requires a multi-faceted approach, including education, mentorship, and community support.

It's a challenge, but here are a few suggestions to encourage more women to step into coaching roles.

I hope they help...

- Collaborate with universities and educational institutions to offer coaching opportunities at your club.

- Partner with local sponsors to offer childcare support to allow more women to attend coaching courses and workshops at your club.

- Encourage and support existing female coaches to be role models and actively engage in encouraging more women to take up coaching roles.

- Female referees often know a lot of people in the football industry. They can facilitate connections and opportunities for aspiring female coaches.

Supporting more women to become involved in women's football coaching requires a multi-faceted approach, including education, mentorship, and community support.

It's a challenge, but here are a few suggestions to encourage more women to step into coaching roles.

I hope they help...

- Collaborate with universities and educational institutions to offer coaching opportunities at your club.

- Partner with local sponsors to offer childcare support to allow more women to attend coaching courses and workshops at your club.

- Encourage and support existing female coaches to be role models and actively engage in encouraging more women to take up coaching roles.

- Female referees often know a lot of people in the football industry. They can facilitate connections and opportunities for aspiring female coaches.

At Surrey Football Coaches Association (est 1965) we offer free membership to Female Coaches, probably suit Surrey/South London better. www.surreyfootballcoachesassociation.com/

That's a great initiative, Paul. Hope more clubs follow suit.

Really great to hear your suggestions Stewart. Some really great ideas there. Are some of these initiatives things you or your club/team have tried? Have you had a good outcome from it? It would be great to hear about that. 

Following up from your suggestions - I think it's also important for men to think about what simple things they might need to do differently to make space and encourage women into the game. That could be learning how to be a good allies or how the environment could be more welcoming.  After all it's not just about getting them into the game it's also about making them feel comfortable to stay.

If you're interested in this we've got some great Coachcast episodes about this subject. 

This does sound great Paul, thanks for adding the details.

Hello Louise,

Thank you for your encouraging words and for furthering the discussion. You're right; fostering an environment where everyone feels invited, comfortable, and respected is integral to promoting inclusivity and retaining talent in coaching.

As I am relatively new in my current role, I am still familiarizing myself with the existing structures and initiatives. These suggestions are still in the ideation stage, and I am eager to take steps towards introducing them to the right people at our club.

I appreciate your point about emphasizing the role of allies in this journey. It is a collaborative effort where all individuals, regardless of gender, can play a part in encouraging and nurturing potential female coaches. Creating a welcoming environment, offering mentorship opportunities, and being open to learning and growing together could be vital steps in this direction.

The suggestion to delve deeper into understanding how to be good allies and create a hospitable atmosphere is spot on. I am eager to learn and adopt practices that facilitate this. I'll listen to the Coachcast Podcast to gain more insights and introduce it to our club as a learning resource.

Moving forward, I will do all I can to foster a space that encourages more women to enter and thrive in the football coaching landscape.

Thank you for the engagement and the valuable suggestions. I look forward to further collaborations and discussions to bring these ideas to fruition.

Best regards,
Stewart

PS: I love the sound of Stepping Over the Sidelines. It would be great to learn more about that.