Description of the Tool
This tool, developed by the Australian Sports Commission, outlines four objectives each supported by several strategies, as a guide to involving more women in coaching and officiating roles.

When to Use it?

• When your sport has recognised the lack of women in coaching and officiating as a priority for change.
• When the current culture of your sport does not attract women in leadership positions, especially coaching and officiating.

Format
The tool is set up as a planning guide with objectives backed by strategies that could be easily transferred to a strategic or other planning document.

Tool

Objective: to recruit more women coaches and officials

Strategies

• Encourage coaches, officials and players to identify and actively 'head-hunt' former or retiring female players to become coaches and officials
• Examine recruitment procedures to ensure they provide equal opportunities and are non-discriminatory (e.g., word advertisements to encourage women to apply; ensure a gender balance on selection panels; ask gender neutral questions, i.e., questions that do not put women at a disadvantage)
• Use objective and quantifiable criteria (e.g., qualifications, results and previous experience) rather than subjective criteria (e.g., mental toughness, decisiveness) for recruitment, and ensure the final decision is related to the job requirements and not the gender of the applicant.
• Identify young women undertaking youth leadership programs and encourage them to get involved with coaching and/or officiating
• Promote the positive rewards of coaching and officiating (e.g., improves self-esteem and confidence; organisational and communication skills; and provides great satisfaction)
• Conduct clinics/workshops focusing on helping females to develop coaching or officiating skills and techniques, and encourage them to become accredited.

Objective: to retain women in coaching and officiating

Strategies

• Provide training in areas where women want to develop additional expertise (e.g., negotiating, leadership skills)
• Promote the structures, career paths and opportunities available in coaching and officiating
• Acknowledge individual achievements and the contribution of women coaches and officials (e.g., at meetings, certificates of recognition, profiles in newsletters, media releases, speakers for seminars)
• Survey female coaches and officials who have become inactive to identify any barriers they may have faced which resulted in their decision to give up coaching or officiating.
• Provide an inclusive and safe work environment (i.e., one which encourages and values individual contribution, is accepting of individual differences, provides good open communication, has reasonable time demands and provides childcare)
• Be sensitive and flexible to family and time demands
• Ensure the environment is free of discrimination and harassment
• Appoint harassment officer and have this person trained.

Objective: to improve women's access to coaching and officiating accreditation

Strategies

• Provide childcare arrangements or appropriate remuneration for child care costs
• Consider the appropriateness of timing/scheduling of courses
• Consider the appropriateness and safety of a venue for training and coaching/officiating (e.g., well lit inside and outside; accessible by public transportation)
• Consider course material and resources in terms of equity and therefore suitability for all (i.e., gender neutral language; photos and graphics include both genders in active roles)
• Ensure course presenters are receptive to, and suitable for women (e.g., do they use appropriate language/terminology, actively support and depict women in coaching/officiating roles, use example, statistics and images of both genders)
• Consider conducting female only courses.

Objective: to improve the status of women coaches and officials

Strategies

• Provide a mentoring or apprenticeship program for women coaches and officials
• Nominate women for advanced coaching and officiating education
• Encourage, and if necessary, target women to take on decision making roles on coaching and officiating committees
• Ensure the organisation plans strategically and provides financial and human resources to develop female coaches and officials
• Encourage women, wherever possible, to apply for senior coach and official position (to ensure that the selection pool of talent contains men and women)
• Promote women who have achieved good positions and/or results as role models
• Ensure equity in salaries between female and male coaches doing similar jobs
• Nominate female coaches and officials for awards.

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