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Coaching

Female Coaches Leadership Programme

Jane Figueiredo diving coach celebrating

 The female coaches leadership programme is a work shadowing and mentorship programme providing learning and development experiences to prepare female coaches to coach tomorrow’s Olympic and Paralympic champions.

The programme is designed to help accelerate the transition of talented and ambitious female coaches to senior leadership roles. The programme offers opportunities to shadow podium coaches operating in the world class performance environments and aims to supply practical insights of what it is like to work in these high-performance settings.

The leadership programme forms part of UK Sport’s long-term plan to address the current under-representation of female coaches at all levels of the talent pathway within the high-performance community. The aim is to more than double the representation of female coaches in the Olympic and Paralympic high-performance community by Paris 2024.

Please see resources developed by Loughborough University research around females in senior leadership roles below;

Women in coaching gender stereotypes 1

Women in coaching gender stereotypes 2 

Women in coaching gender stereotypes 3

About 2022 cohort

A new set of 24 promising female coaches from across 17 sports will work with a highly respected group of five coach leaders. The coach leaders include two graduates from the 2021 programme in Monica Greenwood (British Cycling) and Jen Leeming (British Diving).

Claire Morrison (Boccia UK) and Tracy Whittaker-Smith (Trampolining, British Gymnastics), who coached at their third and fifth Games respectively in Tokyo, will reprise their roles as coach leaders while former GB and England Hockey coach Karen Brown will once again act as a mentor to the 24 coaches.

Greenwood and Leeming’s transition for the second edition of the programme demonstrates the progress that can be made within 12 months. They were part of a group of four participants from the 2021 cohort to have coached at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games alongside Leah Crane (Climbing) and Coral Nourrice (Athletics) while Jo Ryding (Alpine Skiing) is likely to attend the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.

Five of the coach leaders from the first programme – Paula Dunn (Athletics), Jane Figueiredo (Diving), Kate Howey (Judo), Mel Marshall (Swimming) and Bex Milnes (Triathlon) – will act as inspirational figures for the 2021 cohort. The 24 coaches are:

  • Anita Richardson (athletics)
  • Lorraine Rose (fencing)
  • Catherine Walker (athletics)
  • Nicky Hunt (archery)
  • Zoe Brookes (gymnastics)
  • Vlada Priestman (archery)
  • Michelle Flemings (gymnastics)
  • Zoe Chasemore (shooting)
  • Emma Collings-Barnes (swimming)
  • Fern Cates (para-Nordic skiing)
  • Zoe Baker (swimming)
  • Sarah Young (cross-country skiing)
  • Rachel Draper (cycling)
  • Gwen Spurlock (surfing)
  • Emilie Chandler (equestrian)
  • Kimberley Murray (rowing)
  • Michelle Greenhall (climbing)
  • Jennifer Tong (weightlifting)
  • Rachel Carr (climbing)
  • Vanessa Ellis (basketball)
  • Helen Brown (rowing)
  • Emily Muskett (weightlifting)
  • Kathryn Hurrell (badminton)
  • Olga McGlinchey (wrestling)

Sally Munday, CEO at UK Sport, said: “After the success our inaugural female coaches leadership programme in 2021, I am delighted to welcome another strong cohort of hugely promising and talented coaches as it returns for another year.

“UK Sport is committed to powering a diverse and inclusive Olympic and Paralympic high-performance community. This programme forms an integral part of our ambition to grow our thriving sporting system and deliver against our ambition to see far more women coaching at the pinnacle of their sports.

“The fact that coaches from last year’s programme went on to coach at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, and that two of them are now leaders for the 2022 cohort, shows what a beneficial learning opportunity this is. The programme for this next cohort of 24 coaches is really exciting and I wish them all the very best.”

 

About 2021 cohort

In February 2021 the first cohort began the programme, consisting of 28 coaches from 15 sports coming together.

Eight high-performance coaches led the programme, Jane Figueiredo (diving), Claire Morrison (boccia), Paula Dunn (para athletics), Kate Howey (judo), Mel Marshall (swimming), Bex Milnes (para triathlon) and Tracy Whittaker-Smith (trampolining) as coach leaders while Karen Brown, who spent over 15 years as a coach for Great Britain Hockey and England Hockey, acted as a mentor throughout.

These highly-respected coaches led the first six-month programme offering their learnings to 20 of the most promising coaches in the UK, all of whom have been identified as having the potential to coach at the summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic Games from Paris 2024 and beyond.

The 20 participating coaches were offered key support and development opportunities, including times to observe their assigned coach leader in their environment. The programme focused on three key areas – leadership, environment and transition – all of which are fundamental to the coaching development journey.

The 20 coaches:

  • Nicola Benavente (rowing)
  • Hannah Brown (canoeing)
  • Faye Dale (goalball)
  • Christine Harrison-Bloomfield (athletics)
  • Lisa Letchford (hockey)
  • Jenny Leeming (diving)
  • Shani Palmer (athletics)
  • Jo Ryding (alpine skiing)
  • Leah Crane (climbing)
  • Monica Greenwood (cycling)
  • Sarah Kelleher (hockey)
  • Coral Nourrice (athletics)
  • Danielle Brayson (swimming)
  • Naomi Johnston (cycling)
  • Katie Arup (fencing)
  • Lysa Jones (golf)
  • Becky Ashworth (goalball)
  • Emma Trott (cycling)
  • Laura Turner-Alleyne (athletics)
  • Christy Mackinnon (alpine skiing)
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