Published: 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 complicated situations which are increasingly encountered in their work environment.
While many coaches with degrees in physical education are well prepared to become coaches, there are many other coaches who have no formalized training beyond coaches' clinics. While national physical education and coaches organizations are working to create a national coaching certification system, currently there is no nationally accepted system of accreditation in place. Thus, the coaching profession as a whole lacks: 1) a common foundation of knowledge, 2) a systematic approach to work behavior, and 3) an extensive professional organization of support. Therefore, coaches seek out independent coaching certification programs. More often however, coaches find they must learn on the job. Frequently, they are not prepared for the increasing challenges of their positions. In addition, many athletic departments have not formulated policies and procedures to address commonly encountered issues with parents and athletes. If educational programs, standard performance evaluations and policies and procedures regarding relationships with parents and athletes are in place, it is less likely that these situations would be encountered.
In an effort to supplement the education of coaches, the Women's Sports Foundation's guide addresses a wide range of questions such as:
· I have a good relationship with the athletic director and feel comfortable asking for things that will improve my program. The response is almost always positive but the changes never seem to materialize. I can't tell if this happens because he/she does not value my program or is just too busy. How can I encourage her/him to be more responsive in a timely manner?
· Coach-athlete relationships are being scrutinized more and more. Charges of sexual harassment are increasing, and I find myself nervous about patting an athlete on the back or meeting with her in private. Am I being paranoid, or is there a real reason to be concerned?
· Whenever I try to talk to other coaches about the importance of standing up for issues such as Title IX or equitable compensation and benefits, they respond as if I am being disloyal or am the person at fault, rather than the institution. How do I handle such lack of support?
· What factors are important to salary discrimination claims?
· Often during the recruiting process, parents will tell me that they want their daughter to play for a man because they are worried about lesbian coaches who recruit a lot of lesbians on their team. How do I respond to that?
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