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UK Coaching figures point to a 6% fall in women coaches and a 10% drop among women volunteers, with grassroots sport particularly affected.
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The number of women coaching sport in the UK has fallen by 6% in recent years, while the number of women volunteering as coaches has dropped by 10%, UK Coaching figures reported by BBC Sport show. [1]
In grassroots football in England, women account for 7% of coaches. FA data reported by the BBC found that half of girls who play organised football said they would tell a female coach something they could not tell a parent or guardian. One in eight said the same about a male coach. [1]
Emily Handyside, a lead at UK Coaching, told BBC Sport that assumptions about coaches being men can make women feel they do not belong. She said the cost of becoming a coach is a barrier for men too, but argued that it can weigh more heavily on women. Former England footballer Fara Williams said the cost of qualifications and likely earnings made coaching financially unfeasible for her. Anita Asante described the difficulty of balancing coaching work with time with her young child. [1]
The decline contrasts with a change at the top of English women’s football: eight of 14 top-flight clubs have women managers, compared with four of 12 Women’s Super League coaches in January 2023. Handyside is leading UK Coaching’s new Women in Coaching Plan and has called for government-backed measures of coach retention linked to funding. [1]
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