International coaching leaders highlight the importance of organisational accountability, professional development and evidence-informed action to advance gender equality.
Increasing the number of women entering coaching is important, but transforming the systems that determine whether they can develop, progress and remain in the profession is essential.
This message emerged from the SheCOACH Project Online Conference, held on 16 October 2026 as part of Erasmus Days 2026. The event brought together representatives from international sporting organisations, coaching experts and researchers to examine the structural challenges facing women in coaching and explore practical approaches to addressing them.
Facilitated by Dr Megan Hill of Leeds Beckett University and Sport Coaching Europe, the conference combined presentations on the ICOACHGIRLS and SheCOACH projects with an international panel discussion featuring perspectives from football, basketball, volleyball and the wider coaching sector.
Evidence for structural change
Opening the event, Dr Hill presented figures illustrating the continued underrepresentation of women in coaching, including an estimated 23% of registered coaches across Europe and just 13% of coaches at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Professor Sergio Lara-Bercial, ICCE Vice-President, subsequently presented the findings and outputs of SheCOACH, an Erasmus+ Sport co-funded collaboration involving nine partners from seven European countries. The project’s research included 413 online questionnaires and identified persistent cultural and systemic barriers to women’s participation, recognition and advancement in coaching. In response, SheCOACH has developed a multilingual learning platform, case studies and a comprehensive Gender Mainstreaming Framework designed to support coach education providers and sporting organisations. The framework encourages institutions to integrate gender equality into strategic planning, curriculum development, organisational self-assessment, workforce practices and evaluation. Pilot activities included engagement with 191 stakeholders through 13 meetings across four countries, generating practical recommendations for implementation.
Qualifications must lead to opportunities
A central theme of the panel discussion was the distinction between gaining coaching qualifications and accessing meaningful employment and progression. UEFA women’s coach development expert Sonja Kienzler highlighted initiatives addressing this gap, including financial support for qualifications, reserved places on coaching courses and opportunities for female coaches to engage directly with recruitment decision-makers. An initiative delivered with the German Football Association was particularly instructive. Following a career forum connecting female coaches with decision-makers from elite youth academies, almost half of participating coaches had secured new coaching roles within a year, according to figures shared during the discussion. Milena Moulisová, a Czech basketball coach and educator, highlighted the importance of sustainable employment pathways while cautioning that equality measures must be accompanied by appropriate development and support.
Embedding equality in coaching systems
The discussion reinforced that coach education alone cannot remove structural inequality.
Professor Lara-Bercial emphasised the importance of integrating gender perspectives throughout coach education rather than restricting them to isolated modules. Jaejung Jung, representing the European Volleyball Confederation, discussed safeguarding, governance and the importance of ensuring that equality commitments translate into organisational practice. Lorraine Lafrenière, ICCE President and CEO of the Coaching Association of Canada, highlighted intentional leadership, monitoring, mentorship, communities of practice and organisational accountability as important drivers of change. Panellists also explored the role of gender targets and quotas. While perspectives differed on their implementation, the discussion emphasised that appointments must be supported by meaningful development pathways, institutional commitment and opportunities for progression.
From research to international practice
The conference reinforced the importance of translating evidence into practical measures that can be adapted across sports and national contexts.
For the ICCE and its international network, SheCOACH provides a valuable opportunity to support knowledge exchange, strengthen professional learning and encourage coaching organisations to review their approaches to gender equality. The central challenge is no longer simply recognising the problem. It is ensuring that gender equality becomes an embedded, measurable and sustainable feature of coaching systems. Sport federations, coach education providers and policymakers are encouraged to explore the SheCOACH resources and consider how the framework can inform their own organisational development.
Explore the SheCOACH Project: https://shecoach.eu/
Access the learning platform and framework: https://shecoach-platform.eu/
