Football's sexism crisis as four in five women coaches experience misogyny

07 March 2024 , 15:32

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Females continue to face misogyny whilst coaching

Four out of five women coaches have experienced sexism and misogyny in their working environment, according to a new Kick It Out survey.

The women's game is on the rise, owing largely to the success of the Lionesses, who claimed Euros glory in 2022 before falling short in the World Cup final to Spain. However, females looking to go into coaching continue to face barriers with some experiencing abuse or having their opinions belittled.

Kick It Out conducted a survey among 115 coaches and found that 80 percent of women had experienced some form of sexism or misogyny while in a coaching environment. 70 percent had been subject to the same issues whilst on a coaching course.

Just under half the women admitted they'd had people question their knowledge of football's rules due to their gender. Those who've been on the receiving end of sexism or misogyny admit that 40 percent of the time it has come from parents of players they coached.

One anonymous grassroots coach said: “I love coaching and inspiring girls to play football, and female coaches are important role models. Unfortunately, the past few years have been very difficult personally with sexism from my fellow coaches. I never wanted to take it further because I don't want to be blacklisted for it, but I’m no longer coaching because of the sexism I’ve experienced. Clubs need to do better."

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Emma Hayes, who has led Chelsea's women to huge success and will go on to coach the US Women's side, is among the most prominent voices for women's football. She recently claimed the lack of female coaches was a "massive issue" and there was "a lot of work to do to close that gap".

54 percent percent of those surveyed confessed that they have thought about quitting coaching because of the sexism they have faced. More concerning is that 71 percent of those who had experienced sexism or misogyny on a coaching course didn’t feel as though they could report it comfortably to the course leader.

Emma Hayes is one of the few women to enjoy huge successes as a coach (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Hollie Varney, Kick It Out chief operating officer, said: “At a time of huge growth for the women’s game, it’s alarming that over half of the coaches surveyed said they’d thought about quitting because of sexism they’d experienced. Many of the women we spoke to shared their passion and love for coaching but also talked about the exhaustion that came from being regularly undermined, questioned, and overlooked in the coaching environment.

"Football needs to take sexism seriously if we are to boost the number of women in coaching and we hope that findings from this research can be a catalyst to make coaching a more welcoming space for women. We’d encourage those who experience sexism in coaching, or throughout the game, to report it to us. We can get the right people involved and provide support for those affected.”

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Samuel Meade