After a self-imposed 2 week hiatus from posting original material, I started the process of trying to find some a topic about which to post.
I read over some of my prior posts and at the same time with Euro taking place in Holland, there was a lot of coverage and more importantly, stories about the growth of women's soccer, work done by so many different individuals to make women's soccer mainstream and most importantly to ensure that women's soccer players receive equitable treatment, compensation and exposure. Having access to all this information, opinion pieces and articles, made me realize that maybe I have given myself too much credit for my involvement in the sport. Today's post may seem as a long run on sentence, a rambling collection of words as I simply type in what comes across my mind. Don't get my wrong, I am very proud of the years I have spent coaching women's soccer. Back when I started coaching, there were always candidates available to coach girls teams although it was usually a player's parent or relative and in terms of women's (senior) teams, they tended to coach themselves, even at the most elite of levels. In fact there was so few coaches available or interested in coaching women's teams, that the club I was affiliated with asked me to coach the top team along with the two reserve squads. The lack of support for the women's game was obvious, but at the time, I didn't see it as a societal issue but simply like many around me as part of the growing pains of the growth of competitive women's soccer. The reality is that I have probably personally faced more bias and stereotyping due to my last name and being the some of immigrants who came to Quebec than I ever did as a coach in women's soccer. I have been coaching for 27 years and I am proud enough (competitive and arrogant enough) to believe that I am better than a lot of coaches and humble enough to accept that I am not as good as others. I have always fought to ensure that my teams and my athletes got their fair share of resources and support but have I really been a significant contributor to the growth of women's soccer, have I helped improve the the status of female soccer players, did any of my actions or words have any effect on eliminating or reducing gender bias and stereotyping. I have always liked to think the answer to all of the above would be yes, but sometimes, I am not sure. When I started coaching I was younger and in many ways, somewhat naive. In the early 90s, women's soccer at a competitive level, be it provincially, nationally or internationally, was really an unknown. The first women's World Cup had just taken place in 1991 and without social media, TV coverage and most important Canada not taking place, the majority of people even those involved in soccer or having kids participating in the sport had no idea. The two issues I most often faced were either comments by men that were in the area of " coaching women? why aren't you coaching men? not good enough" made by people involved in or at least familiar with the soccer environment - or - " coaching women? how lucky are you to get to watch sweaty women in shorts running around " made by well for lack of a better word ignorant men who on top of not having any idea about women's soccer, just had a caveman approach to women in general. These were the same men who probably made sexist comments in the workplace or their every day lives and attributed it to being simply fun banter among " the boys". When I got the first type of comment, I explained my reasons for coaching women, when I got the second, I was proud of myself for not engaging or participating in the conversation, however if I were truly an advocate for women's sport and concerned about elimination gender bias and inequities, I would have spoken up and replied to these men. My coaching career closely paralleled my professional work career. As I entered the work force, I was more exposed to the issues involved in gender bias, stereotyping and the fact that opportunities for females to enter management or certain areas of the work force were limited and barriers existed that didn't provide them with the same chances that men and even specifically myself received. As with my coaching, I made sure not to make comments that in any way could be seen as supporting the prevailing attitude against women in society. Did this make my special in any way, looking back, I can say no, it didn't, it just made me a decent person doing what was right, but not doing anything extraordinary. As I progressed through my coaching career to the provincial teams, my eyes were opened to what was obviously a larger issue, that the female side of the game systematically received less investment, less support and less visibility that the male side. The supporting argument was always the same, since more people follow men's soccer, it's important to continue to invest there, but how can we grow something if we don't change existing habits and seeks ways to increase its appeal. It really is an issue of the chicken or the egg, what comes first. A false narrative has always existed that reinforces the idea that “no one” is interested in women’s sports. As a result of this perceived lack of interest, many women’s sports are not covered by the media, do not receive financial or logistical support and if they’re not covered, then people don’t see women’s sports and aren’t interested. You can begin to see where “the chicken or the egg” scenario comes into play here. Seeing this systematic inequity, how did I react? Did I speak up and campaign for the rights and privileges that females should enjoy, that they get their fair share of the pie? Did I chastise and put those who created or supported the practice in their place? Perhaps, but certainly not enough. I fought for the betterment of the situation of my teams and athletes once again, but didn't attack the issues on the larger scale. I can't hide behind the fact that I was young or naive, that I was just starting out. I fought hard but looking back, not hard enough. Most importantly, I had a narrow minded view as it related to soccer and not to female sports overall. For the 15 years, I have been the head coach at the university level. I can honestly say that it is during this time that I have really discovered my voice to advocate for women's sport and concurrently, felt more comfortable to not just " not say anything supported stupid actions or unacceptable behavior" but to really voice my opinion. I am coach in female sport but more importantly I am a manager working in an academic institution and I have a platform and an opportunity to ensure that the systematic blocking of opportunities for females and younger females does not occur within my sphere of influence. I strive to give every opportunity for anyone I coach or who works for me to develop themselves professionally, personally and most importantly to eliminate any barriers that might potential prevent them from attaining their objectives. I am privileged that I can work from within the system, I have access to information and resources that can be applied to doing my part in changing age old stereotypes and eliminating ongoing bias. Hopefully if enough people stand up and getting outside of their box, things will continue to improve. Things have come a long way, but the news and social media are full of examples which prove that we have not come nearly as far as we would like to give ourselves credit for. Bringing this back to sport, everyone can, not just coaches or sports administrators but every one can support women's sports with some simple actions.
I remain proud of everything I have tried to do in my little sphere of women's soccer and as I see younger and passionate people taking up the cause, I continue to feel motivate to do my part. However I also accept that I could have done more and maybe didn't do as much as I think. as always, just one person's thoughts.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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