COACHING FEMALE FOOTBALLERS:

Tips for coaches

Aasta O’Connor (V) takes the tap during the AFL

Women’s High Performance Academy game on the MCG

UNDERSTANDING FEMALE FOOTBALLERS

Coaches should stick to good coaching principles such as striving to meet individual needs in order for their footballers to achieve optimal enjoyment and performance

There are few differences between coaching male and female footballers

Female footballers are generally tough, strong willed, determined, train hard, ferocious competitors, want to learn and thus absorb their coach’s advice readily - and talk a lot!

If you are coaching a female football team or have female players within a mixed gender team, there are some key things you should know:

1) Why girls want to play AFL2) Barriers to participation for female footballers3) What they want from their AFL experience and their coach4) Some unique issues that a coach of female footballers may face 5) What the female player pathway is and tips for coaching each age group

a) Auskick (5 – 9 years)b) Junior Girls (10 – 12 years)c) Youth Girls (13 - 17 years)d) Women’s League (17 + years)

UNDERSTANDING FEMALE FOOTBALLERS

If you would like further information about coaching resources, courses, finding a coach mentor follow the link:

http://aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=6

Or for state specific information go to your state’s coaching web site for further information.

WHY GIRLS WANT TO PLAY AFL

Boys and girls differ in why they want to play AFL. Coaches need to understand these gender differences and adjust what they expect of their players.

Top reasons girls want to play AFL:

• Socialise and have fun. Coaches should not underestimate this wish of female footballers! • Sense of belonging to a team• Love the physicality of AFL – tackling, bumps, shepherds etc• Learn new skills• Body image - get fit • Feel good and relieve their stress• Personal improvement – if they don’t feel like they’re improving they won’t stay (boys are more motivated by the result rather than merely participating).

WHY GIRLS WANT TO PLAY AFL: Implications for Coaches

• Set individual and team goals• Be aware of body image issues – players should feel comfortable doing drills, being in the changeroom and wearing the club’s apparel. Girls can find it ‘uncool’ to sweat or work hard. This can be especially true for girls from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.• Balance participation and personal improvement with game results• Coach the basics of kicking, handball and marking in a football context eg why handball is used to maintain possession• Teach the skills of tackling, bumping, head over the ball in a pack etc well.• Educate players about the importance of core strength for stability and injury prevention•Provide opportunities for players to chat and listen to their opinions

BARRIERS THAT PREVENT FEMALES PLAYING AFL

• Gaps in the player pathway – no competition/club/team close to home/school• Lack of girls only groups/teams• Social stereotyping – fear of being labelled ‘butch’ because they play a predominantly male game• No one to coach them• No quality coach – treats them like boys rather than understanding what they want from their AFL experience• Reduced time to commit to football due to other commitments such as relationships, study, work, other sports, home duties etc. Generally girls drop out of sport in Australia around 14 years of age.

Implications for coaches:• If there is no next age group for players to go to in their area try and involve them in cross regional games• Help them set up a team or be prepared to coach a small number, or set up an all girls zone within your boys team• Listen to the girls’ body image concerns and encourage them by promoting their athleticism• Have a succession plan if you no longer wish to coach eg mentor a female• Every player wants a coach who is encouraging, fun and fair. No player wants a coach who swears, is rude, demeaning or who has favourites• Be flexible and allow for AFL to not be the #1 priority for your players

Currently there are several unique reasons why some potential female footballers cannot play AFL.

Coaches have an opportunity to help overcome any of the following barriers:

WHAT FEMALES WANT FROM THEIR AFL EXPERIENCE

Improve their skills and football knowledge

Improve their fitness

Be competitive

Through a number of surveys and focus groups seeking female footballers’ feedback conducted across Australia the AFL has ascertained what it is female footballers want most from participating in AFL.

Have FUN with their friends

A coach who talks respectively to their players

WHAT GIRLS WANT FROM THEIR AFL EXPERIENCE:

Implications for coaches

Impart football knowledge and language in context eg show what a “fat side” and “skinny side” looks like. Don’t assume the players understand football terms.

Listen to your players’ opinions – make them feel included

Use the players background in other sports to teach football specific skills eg executing a ruck tap using the footwork of a basketball lay up

Encourage your footballers –sandwich one piece of constructive advice between 2 positive comments

Include time for chats during training and encourage club social events

Provide fun training sessions. Use a variety of ways to deliver your message eg use a whyteboard to demonstrate set plays, show correct kicking technique with video replay, hand out a sheet describing what to do at stoppages etc

Ensure you have a coaching philosophy that balances what the footballers want with what you would like them to achieve

Improve fitness through a variety of fun activities such as small games, setting individual improvement goals

ISSUES A COACH OF FEMALE FOOTBALLERS MAY FACE

Mixed gender teams

General coaching principles apply whether you are coaching male or female footballers. There are however some issues unique to female football environments.

Implications for coaches:• Girls in a mixed gender team may feel intimidated orexcluded from learning the game to the level they wouldlike. Implement ways to get the males to take someresponsibility for the females learning the game, set upgirls zones to ensure they get to play a variety of positions(such as key corridor positions) and against each other.•If you need to touch a player to help them learn a skillensure it is with the permission of the player. Use theirparent if they are present.• Male coaches need to develop changeroom protocolseg give players 15 minutes to get ready before movinginto changerooms for prematch address•Develop a Code of Conduct and expectations with theplayers so there’s a balanced approach between whatthey want and you hope to achieve in the season.

Inappropriate handling of females by male coaches

Player/coach expectations

Implications for coaches:

• Use visual and verbal cues together to explain‘why’ in a football context eg executing a setplay kicking out from a point, stoppages etc

• Where sexuality issues/club culture can putsome girls off being involved implement aCode of Conduct that players have developed.

• For players from a different culturalbackground understand what issues may beculturally sensitive for them. For someIndigenous women it may be ‘shame’ for themto play AFL. For CALD women AFL will beforeign to them so explain unique footballterms in context.

• Open communication is valued by females. Aslong as they feel they have time to socialise orthe coach listens to their ideas/opinions theywill enjoy their football experience.

MORE ISSUES A COACH OF FEMALE FOOTBALLERS MAY FACE

Socially “chatty” or opinionated female players

Players lack of football knowledge and understanding football terms

Culture issues – culture of the club/team and/or cultural background of players

FEMALE PLAYER PATHWAY

Coaches should be aware of the Female Player Pathway that is being developed across each state so they understand their role in developing female footballers (see table below). By 2020 it is expected that in capital cities and larger rural towns that a female footballer will be able to play football from Auskick to a Women’s League in single gender (female only) competitions. Find out what your state provides for female footballers.

Auskick Junior Girls Schoolgirls Youth Girls Women’s League

25 % females across all

centres

• 10s, 12s available

in larger junior

clubs

• U12s available in

less populated

areas

• Primary school

competitions

established

• 13/14s and U18s

supported by all

school sports

associations

• U16s and U18s

club based

competitions

available in all

capital cities

• Some larger

cities/towns have

established U18s

with at least 12 a-

side

• All capital cities have

consolidated, affiliated

and expanding

women’s league with

minimum age of 18

years for State League

• State leagues

established

• Regional cities/larger

towns are establishing

or consolidating

leagues

• Representative teams

alignment model

established

COACHING GIRLS IN AUSKICK (up to 9 years of age)

It is well documented that girls prefer to participate in female only groups when doing physical activities. In 2011 AFL Victoria conducted a survey amongst 350 Auskick girls and reported that the girls:• were intimidated by having to play football with males • often felt excluded by the boys and hence were unable to develop their skills to the level they wanted to• experienced teasing at not being able to pass the ball as well as the boys

Implications for coaches:• Developmentally there should be no differences at Auskick age between coaching boys or girls• Male coaches will need to be aware of handling girls inappropriately or in a way that makes the girl feel uncomfortable. Generally Mums and Dads are present at Auskick centres so include them when teaching football skills.• Provide single gender/all girls teams and opportunities eg an all girls group within a mixed gender Auskick centre• If you are faced with having small numbers of girls within your mixed gender group ensure you provide some education to give the boys responsibility to help the girls improve their skills• Include the Mums in your training so they too can learn the basic football skills and pair up with their sons or daughters

COACHING JUNIOR GIRLS (10 – 12 years olds)

Although the AFL Junior Policy allows for girls to participate with boys up to the age of 14 years, in capital cities and larger rural towns it is encouraged to provide single gender opportunities or at least female zones (so girls play on girls).Until the player pathway is complete in your area, girls may come to your team with a diverse range of football experience. Some girls may have come through Auskick and have good basic football skills whilst others may be new entry players. The latter is especially true for girls from a multicultural background and who may not have a command of English let alone football language!

Implications for coaches:

• Be well prepared for the large range of skill levels and football backgrounds in your team• Make sure you know what your players want from their AFL experience• If coaching a mixed gender team provide training drills where the girls can test themselves against each other not just against the boys• Make training sessions fun and if you have a mixed gender team or mixed cultural team, buddy players up to help the emerging ‘stars’

COACHING YOUTH GIRLS (13 – 17 years)

Until the player pathway is complete in your area, girls may come to your team with a diverse football experience. Some girls may have come through Auskick and have good basic football skills whilst others may be new entry players. The latter is especially true for girls from a multicultural background and who may not have a command of English let alone football language!Girls this age are more concerned about playing than winning. However this does not make them any less competitive. They are fierce competitors in football but are more likely to strive for personal improvement rather than concern whether they win.The drop out rate in sport for Australian girls happens during the youth girls years. Coaches need to be aware that girls cite other commitments as one of the biggest barriers to their continuation of sport.

COACHING YOUTH GIRLS : Pressures youth girls encounter to play AFL

Understanding the competing pressures adolescent girls face will help coaches understand the role of sport and AFL in their lives. A coach who is flexible can provide an enjoyable experience that encourages girls to stay involved in sport.

11 yrs 14 yrs13 yrs 17+ yrs12 yrs 15 yrs 16 yrs

Body consciousness issues

Relationships/boyfriends

Study

Part time work

Other sports/activities

Peer group pressure

COACHING YOUTH GIRLS: Implications for Coaches

Implications for coaches:• Make training sessions fun and allow times for the girls to ‘have a chat’!• Be flexible - allow for football to not be the main priority in an adolescent girl’s life.• Use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to recruit players and convey game day information• Be well prepared for each training session so you can cater for the diverse skill levels and football backgrounds in your team.• Teach the physicality skills well such as tackling, bumping, etc.Girls generally love to execute the more physical skills of football but if they are new entry players they will not know how to do them safely and with technique. Ensure you teach these skills sequentially and provide the games sense context.• Educate players about the importance of core stability and strength. Not only will this help them withstand the physical combat but also assist injury prevention.• Make sure you know what your players want from their AFL experience• Use vision of game and skill execution analysis frequently. Use vision of correct execution rather than poor execution so player can visualize what they should be doing.• Explain why they are learning something – place in a football context

© Australian Football League 2010

COACHING A WOMEN’S LEAGUE TEAM(17 years +)

As the player pathway takes shape coaching a women’s league team can be a tough yet thoroughly rewarding experience. Players can vary in age from 17 through to over 30 years of age! This means your team comes to you with a:

• Huge diversity of maturation levels physically, socially, and emotionally• Variety of football backgrounds from having followed the pathway from Auskick through to the Women’s league, being the most talented player such as an All Australian representative, being a first entry AFL player at the age of 28, to being a talented player in another sport but being a first time AFL player.• Large range of goals they want to achieve from their AFL involvement from being a social player, gaining a bit of fitness, improving their skills to aspiring to be an All Australian player• Massive range of other commitments such as relationships, family, work, study, other sports etc

COACHING A WOMEN’S LEAGUE TEAM:Implications for Coaches

Implications for coaches:• Communication is the key: knowing your players’ background and football experience and understanding what they want from their AFL experience are paramount in balancing the players’ expectations and goals with those of the coach• Be well prepared so you can cater for the skill diversity within the group. Challenge the more skilled players whilst providing good basic knowledge and skill development to the new players. Having a buddy system for some drills (pairing a capable player with a beginner or an older with a younger) also helps mix the friendship groups. Getting the more skilled players to perform a drill with their non-preferred side can challenge those players or get them to demonstrate a skill drill.

Coaching a typical women’s league team is like coaching the basic skills of football to 14 year old boys but you’re dealing with mature bodies and minds. You will find the women pick up the skills quickly and are very willing to attempt to put into practice what you teach them. You should begin with basic skill development before embarking on more complex Games Sense drills. Kicking and the physicality skills in particular need to be part of every training session.

COACHING A WOMEN’S LEAGUE TEAM:Implications for Coaches

Implications for coaches:• Make it fun. Vary your training drills and warm ups as well as how you convey your messages. Provide visuals on whyteboards of what plays you would like players to follow or use videos of correct technique • Don’t expect football to be the number one pursuit of your players. Be flexible and try and plan training around the player’s other interests• Provide opportunities for socializing during training as well as special club events • Use vision of game and skill execution analysis frequently. Use vision of correct execution rather than poor execution so player can visualize what they should be doing.• Explain WHY they are practising something – place in a football context.• Educate players about the importance of core stability and strength. Not only will this help them withstand the physical combat but also assist injury prevention• Use quality staff such as runners, strength and conditioning coach and others to provide further expert advice to both you and the players

FURTHER READINGS

Bradley, Michael; “The Female Athlete – Train for Success”

http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/coaches/education

http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/women

http://www.coach.ca/canadian-journal-for-women-in-coaching-s12541

http://www.caaws.ca/e/gender_equity/

Lehmann, Eric (Wisconsin Track & Field Coach); “Coaching Female Athletes”