Canadian Women & Sport and the Coaching Association of Canada Release New Tools for Advancing Gender Equity in Coaching
Toronto, ON (October 25, 2021) – Canadian Women & Sport and the Coaching Association of Canada are pleased to announce the official launch of the Gender Equity in Coaching Framework and Self-Assessment Tool for sport leaders and organizations from grassroots to National Sport Organizations.
Coaches are the most visible and influential leaders in sport. They shape the day-to-day lived experiences of participants and influence the growth and development of sport. Current coaching data indicates that women are under-represented as coaches both nationally and internationally.
The Coaching Association of Canada reported that of individuals who identified taking a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) course and recorded it within the Locker (a dedicated online tracking system) in 2019 only 34% were women, compared to 66% men and 0.1% another gender (Canadian Women & Sport, The Rally Report, (2020)). To learn more about the current landscape of coaching in Canada, check out Canadian Women & Sport’s latest blog post.
To increase the number of women in coaching, the new Gender Equity in Coaching tools will support sport leaders at all levels of the system to improve conditions for women coaches.
The Gender Equity in Coaching Framework focuses on factors within an organization’s control, guiding sport leaders to meaningful and sustainable changes that will improve the outcomes for women in coaching, while the Gender Equity in Coaching Self-Assessment Tool determines an organization’s areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, by offering evidence-based recommendations to advance gender equity in coaching via an online platform.
“Advancing gender equity in coaching is a priority for the Coaching Association of Canada. Through our collaborative work to develop this new assessment tool we can further support organizations across Canada to determine the areas that they are already succeeding in, and the steps they need to take to achieve a more equitable coaching landscape.”
Lorraine Lafrenière, CEO, Coaching Association of Canada
“The evidence is clear: more women coaching at every level will positively impact engagement of girls and women and improve everyone’s experience, regardless of gender. There’s no better time to launch this framework and new tool to help increase inclusion of women in coaching and leadership positions within sport. We’ve listened carefully to sport organizations, who have told us that increasing the number of women coaching in their sport is a top priority. We are proud to work with the Coaching Association of Canada to provide these new solutions.”
Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO, Canadian Women & Sport
To access the Gender Equity Self-Assessment Tool, please click here.
Visit the Gender Equity in Coaching landing page.
Canadian Women and Sport and the Coaching Association of Canada will also be hosting a free Gender Equity in Coaching Webinar on November 23rd, 2021, as an opportunity for the community to learn how to use the framework and self-assessment tool.
These resources and opportunities are available for free and have been made possible thanks to support from Sport Canada. We are grateful for their continued commitment to expanding opportunities for women in coaching.
About the Coaching Association of Canada
The Coaching Association of Canada unites stakeholders and partners in its commitment to raising the skills and stature of coaches, and ultimately expanding their reach and influence. Through its programs, the CAC empowers coaches with knowledge and skills, promotes ethics, fosters positive attitudes, builds competence, and increases the credibility and recognition of coaches.
Contact:
Natasha Cyrille, [email protected], Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Canadian Women & Sport
Anick Michel, [email protected], Manager, Marketing and Communications, Coaching Association of Canada,