From The Advocacy Desk: July 2008 Report
By Kayan Brown Published: Thursday, July 31, 2008
In addition to working to maintain a strong Title IX and a comprehensive public policy agenda that increases opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports and physical activity, the Women’s Sports Foundation responds to hundreds of calls and e-mails asking for help with specific gender equity, Title IX, the Amateur Sports Act, and coaching and employment situations at the local level. Read about some of the people we have helped.
From The Advocacy Desk: June 2008 Report
By Kayan Brown Published: Monday, June 30, 2008
In addition to working to maintain a strong Title IX and a comprehensive public policy agenda that increases opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports and physical activity, the Women’s Sports Foundation responds to hundreds of calls and e-mails asking for help with specific gender equity, Title IX, the Amateur Sports Act and coaching and employment situations at the local level. Read about some of the people we have helped.
From The Advocacy Desk: May 2008 Report
By Kayan Brown Published: Friday, May 30, 2008
In addition to working to maintain a strong Title IX and a comprehensive public policy agenda that increases opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports and physical activity, the Women’s Sports Foundation responds to hundreds of calls and e-mails asking for help with specific gender equity, Title IX, the Amateur Sports Act and coaching and employment situations at the local level. Read about some of the people we have helped.
From the Advocacy Desk: March 2008 Advocacy Report
By Lauren SummaPublished: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
In addition to working to maintain a strong Title IX and a comprehensive public policy agenda that increases opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports and physical activity, the Women’s Sports Foundation responds to hundreds of calls and e-mails asking for help with specific gender equity, Title IX, the Amateur Sports Act, and coaching and employment situations at the local level. Read about some of the people we have helped.
Addressing the Issue of Verbal, Physical and Psychological Abuse of Athletes: The Foundation Position
Published: Monday, October 01, 2007
A. General Rationale All types of abuse can occur in sport as they do in many other institutional contexts such as the workplace, government, religious organizations and the home. Specifically, abuse in sport, whether sexual or not, deters girls and women from participating and developing as athletes. The development and implementation of policies regarding such abuse will help create organizational climates in which women and girls, as well as men and boys, can participate and feel free to report such incidents. Setting policy on verbal, physical and psychological abuse is also likely to decrease the likelihood of such offenses. The ...
Women's Sports Facts and Statistics
Published: Friday, June 15, 2007
The Women's Sports Foundation, on a quarterly basis, compiles facts and statistics that are a representative sample of the data that exists in women's sports as of the fact compilation publication date. Click on the Women's Sports Facts and Statistics link below to review the most current fact compilation.Use our search engine (upper left above the menu page) to look for information on particular topics of interest.If you cannot find the information you are looking for, the Foundation also operates an Information Referral Service to help educate the public by providing facts, statistics and background data on sports-related issues for ...
Israeli Men's College Basketball Teams Coached by Women
Published: Monday, June 04, 2007
Coaches face each other for first time in Friendship Games
Top 10 Ways to Motivate Girls to Become Physically Active!
Published: Thursday, May 20, 2004
The latest research from the CDC shows us that girls who are physically active are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, including smoking, alcohol and drug use and risky sexual activity. A girl who exercises every day is less likely to get cancer and less likely to develop heart disease as an adult.Girls need to build physical activity into their lives. They need to decide that being physically active is important and worth the time and effort to keep at it. You can help. Here are some ways to motivate girls to be physically active:1. Keep it fun! Activities should ...
Ten Tips for Coaching Girls' Sports
Published: Thursday, October 10, 2002
Every coach a girl has will undoubtedly leave an impression on her. Here are some suggestions to get you on the road to creating a positive experience for blossoming athletes.
Women's Sports Foundation Education Guide: Special Issues for Coaches of Women's Sports
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2001
As a coach you are expected to fearlessly lead your team through the ups and downs of a season. But what happens when you begin to feel uncertainty or instability in your position and decision making? What unbiased party do you turn to with your most sensitive questions? The Women's Sports Foundation has created an educational guide entitled "Special Issues for Coaches of Women's Sports" to help coaches prevent, respond to, and/or initiate action when faced with difficult professional situations. The guide consists of a series of commonly asked questions, answers and key recommendations to help coaches navigate through the ...
What Every Athlete and Parent Should Know About Girls and Sports
Published: Saturday, March 18, 2000
Girls drop out of sports at a rate that is six times greater than boys by the age of 14. They do so because of a combination of factors that include: (1) lack of participation opportunities -- boys have twice the number of participation opportunities in high school and college (2) lack of the same encouragement to play sports as is received by boys. Every time a boy receives a glove or a ball as a gift, or turns on the television and sees crowds cheering images of himself playing, he knows he's supposed to play sports. Girls aren't receiving the ...
TOP 10 Questions for Parents Placing their Child in the Care/Leadership of a Coach:
Published: Monday, February 01, 1999
1. How much experience have you had in teaching children? At what age(s)?2. What has been your experience and background with this sport?3. What are some of the most significant differences (racial, disability, economic, social, etc.) you have experience dealing with while working in a team environment?4. Why have you decided to be a coach?5. Who was the best coach you have ever been coached by Why? What coach do you most admire?6. What role do you prefer for parents to play within your team organization?7. How will you handle decisions on who and how much each child will practice/compete?8. ...
A Coach's Self Assessment: Are You Crossing the Line with an Athlete?
Published: Monday, March 11, 1996
The purpose of this questionnaire is to alert coaches to boundary issues which might be interfering with their ability to work effectively with a team or an athlete. Coaching is an emotionally intense profession. Strong bonds and emotions are part of the job. The line between appropriate and inappropriate behavior is often a matter of intent and context. The following list of questions is intended to help coaches know when they may be extending the boundaries of their role as coach and potentially crossing the line with an athlete.Check any statements which reflect your behavior or attitude toward an athlete:1. ...
Jan Hutchinson Continues to Lead the Coaching Ranks
Last year, at about this time, Jan Hutchinson started her 20th season as Bloomsburg University head softball coach. It was a season which would bring her unfamiliar notoriety and national attention.
On April 20, 1997, Hutchinson, also Bloomsburg's field hockey coach, earned her 1,000th career coaching victory when her team swept a twin bill from Dowling College. She became the first women's coach (and first female coach) to reach 1,000 collegiate wins. And she hadn't even been aware that the milestone was approaching.
"I've never just sat around and counted wins," she said. "That's not me. I wasn't even aware of it ...
Why Coaches Need to Address Homophobia in Athletics
Homophobia is the plague of female sports teams. Author and expert, Pat Griffin, lays out why coaches need to take the lead in addressing the issue to provide a healthy space for ALL athletes.
Coaching - Do Female Athletes Prefer Male Coaches?: The Foundation Position
It is often heard from male and female athletes that he or she prefers a male coach. Eighty percent of all coaches at the high school and college level are male. At the collegiate level, only two percent of the coaches of men's teams and less than half of the coaches of women's teams are female. (Acosta, Women in Intercollegiate Sport, 2002) When members of disadvantaged groups are admitted into fields in which they have, historically, been the victims of discrimination, there are many subtle and overt barriers to achieving equal footing with members of majority advantaged groups. It's important ...
For the Love of the Game
With the spotlight illuminating women's athletics, many different sports are emerging on college campuses across the country. Some are in the building stages, others are already there. What makes a program successful? Why do young women devote four years to a sport that may not lead them to a professional career? How do coaches motivate them?
Coaching Gap Widens
A Generation After Title IX, Too Many Female Coaches Still Benched
Sexual Harassment - Sexual Harassment and Sexual Relationships Between Coaches, Other Athletic Personnel and Athletes: The Foundation Position
A. General Rationale Sexual harassment is a recognized social problem in sport. Sexual harassment in sport deters girls and women from participating and developing as athletes. The development and implementation of policies regarding sexual harassment help to create organizational climates in which women and girls feel free to report such incidents. Setting policy on sexual harassment is also believed to decrease the likelihood of such offenses. The Women's Sports Foundation acknowledges that sexual harassment occurs in athletics and seeks to prevent its occurrence through the development of this policy and position statement.Leaders of sports governing bodies, educational institutions and athletic ...
Title IX - Title IX Consulting: The Foundation Position
Title IX consultants should always be used in conjunction with a comprehensive Title IX self-assessment by the educational institution. 1) Title IX regulations are extremely broad and complex and individual athletic program practices too varied for any consultant to have a grasp of all athletic program practices in a school without the assistance of a comprehensive self-assessment. The most knowledgeable people about the conduct of the athletic program are the coaches, athletes, parents, and administrators involved in that program. Self-assessment followed by a review of results by those served by the program and coaches and administrators responsible for the conduct ...
WANTED: Behaved Parents on the Sidelines!
How often are the joyful sounds of laughing children running around a soccer field, gravitating to the ball like bees are drawn to honey, drowned out by parents screaming at their players to "get the ball, run faster, score a goal, NOW!”
Role Models: Step Up to the Pedestal
They come in all shapes and sizes. Some stand tall on pedestals while others walk on solid ground. Some go down in history while others rise up as legends. They're heroes and mentors, leaders and role models. Their images are taped to bedroom walls and locker room doors. They walk the earth disguised as parents, teachers, coaches and athletes. They are the chosen ones -- the ones who can make a difference in a girls life at a time when making a difference matters.But if you look at those pedestals and walls, there are few women present. This is especially ...
Recruiting, Retention and Advancement of Women in Athletics
The position of women in the fields of coaching and sports administration creates a tension that all players—including young girls and those who support and mentor them—should be aware of. According to Susan Faludi, author of Backlash there is a “backlash” against the invasion of women into the workplace and women who seek equal rights and privileges (Faludi, 1991). The start of the 1980s was the first time white men became less than 50 percent of the workforce. It was the first time that no new manufacturing jobs were created. It was the first time that more women than men ...