ATHLETIC S COACH
HIGH PERFORMANCE COACH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM REFLECTIONS BY NICOLE BOEGMAN-STEWART
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This was a central theme of the GCH sessions held on the Gold Coast and part of a more broader strategy that ICCE has committed to in developing a ‘call to action’ to increase the number of women in coaching at all levels. 50% of the expert speakers at the GCH were female, leading the way in providing greater visibility of female coaches and building a greater understanding of how we can break down the barriers preventing women from joining the elite coaching ranks.
uring the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australian athletics coach Nicole Boegman Stewart was selected by the Australian Institute of Sport to attend a High-Performance Coach Development program for female coaches. The AIS HP Coach Development program for women coaches was run in conjunction with the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) Global Coaches House (GCH) - an initiative that aims to provide common sharing and learning spaces for high performance coaches at major multi-sport events.
The Australian contingent representing the AIS High Performance Coach Development Program for women, included eight coaches from different sports (netball, hockey, swimming, rowing, diving,
The following is a summary of Nicole’s reflections and exeperiences:
Globally, only 10 percent of women coaches were represented at a High-Performance level. How can we make change and push for progress?
The AIS Coach Development Program for women coaches was an exciting opportunity to network with other high performance female coaches from around Australia. It was an opportunity to share information about our coaching journeys, self-reflect, discuss challenges, workshop ideas and strategies as a likeminded group.
gymnastics, badminton, and athletics). Coaches were aligned in small self-reflection groups (or pods) and throughout the Commonwealth Games these small pod groups were led by experienced female mentor coaches that included Tracey Menzies (swimming), Penny Liddick (gymnastics) and Ellen Randell (rowing).
The most alarming statistic that was immediately raised as part of forum discussions was that globally only 10 percent of women coaches (in western culture) were represented at a High-Performance level. How can we make change and push for progress?
In each pod session coaches were encouraged to explore the idea of where we see yourself now as a high-performance coach and how you can position yourselves better to be where you want to be in our own individual sports.
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