Abstract
Despite the potential benefits of youth sport, the recruitment and retention of coaches is an ongoing pervasive challenge faced by sport organizations, which is even more prevalent among females when compared to their male counterparts. This can be problematic given the unique benefits that female role models can provide for female athletes (Wasend & LaVoi, 2019). Volunteering as a coach is also considered a common avenue by which adults can “give back” to their sport communities (Vierimaa et al., 2017). Nevertheless, this topic remains largely understudied, particularly with female coaches. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of female coaches and identify key factors that have driven them to contribute to their sport through coaching. Participants included 11 female youth sport coaches who participated in qualitative interviews to investigate their youth sport experiences, transition from athletic to coaching role, and current coaching experiences. Data collection and analysis followed a semi-iterative cycle consistent with a grounded theory approach. Results highlighted the significance of the transition from having a female role model during the youth sport experience shifting to a desire to be a female role model during participants’ current coaching. This experience alongside other common motivators appeared to outweigh the barriers of gender bias and perception of age that appeared to be unique to the female coaching experience. Overall, this study has improved our understanding of the experiences of female coaches and factors that work to facilitate and sustain females’ contribution to sport through coaching.
