She’s Got Game - She Can Coach
Canadian soccer legend Erin McLeod, two-time Olympian and FIFA World Cup goalkeeper, pictured with Cohort 5 and the She Can Coach community.
Cohort 5 is underway!
Cohort 5 of our She's Got Game – She Can Coach project is now underway, with a focus on recruiting, training, and developing coaches for our recreational AND competitive streams.
It is not too late to get involved! If you are interested in joining, please complete our Expression of Interest Form, and we will be in touch.
See below for the Cohort 5 program pathway, outlining the key stages from recruitment through to practical coaching experience.
Please connect with the She Can Coach Project Coordinator, Olivia Rizakos, at olivia.rizakos@guelphsoccer.ca if you have any questions.
Cohort 5 pathway
Project Overview
Cohort 1 at a grassroots clinic
Guelph Soccer’s She’s Got Game - She Can Coach project is an initiative that began in 2021 with the goal of ensuring more women and girls can enjoy the benefits of soccer by addressing the current challenges they face in participation. Female sport leaders play a critical role in creating a welcoming and safe space for girls in sport. This project will strive to support and advance gender equality in sport by breaking down the barriers of entry for women to coach, with the hope that this will increase female registration and help to balance the gender gap in participation between boys and girls (currently the Club’s player registration ratio has been 60:40, boys to girls, for the past 20 years).
Cohort #1 Report
Click here to view the Cohort #1 Report.
The research report details barriers, facilitators, and motivators for women in coaching; program design and delivery; the evaluation of our coaches' experiences; and the future direction of our program. Read through to find snippets of actual comments from our participating coaches, which are one of the best parts of the report!
We are extremely grateful to our coaches from Cohort #1 who contributed their time and experience to make this report possible. Together, we have created a well-documented, successful, and transferable model for women in sport, one that we hope will be replicated across various sports in our country.
Change across the entire industry (as opposed to just the soccer landscape) in Canada is now a real possibility, and it couldn't have been possible without the participation of our fierce female leaders! Their effort and passion saw the Guelph soccer community’s female role models grow by over 50 coaches, all keen to effect positive change for future generations of young athletes!
Coaches from Cohort 2 working with house league U8 girls
Cohort #2 Report
Click here to view the Cohort #2 Report.
This report examines how the program addresses the underrepresentation of women coaches in sports by providing various forms of support to mitigate existing barriers, including financial constraints and caregiving responsibilities. The program, evaluated through surveys and focus groups, revealed positive outcomes including increased confidence, professional development, and a sense of community among participants. Feedback from the evaluation led to adjustments to the program structure to better accommodate participants' needs, resulting in improved recruitment and retention of women coaches in soccer. The report also highlights comments from many of our coaches who share their experience with She Can Coach!
We extend our sincere thanks to the coaches of Cohort #2 for their invaluable contributions to this report. As a team, we've created a winning model for women in sports to ignite broad industry change. Our inspiring female leaders' dedication fueled this program's success!
Cohort #3 and #4: Now Wrapped up!
Cohorts 3 and 4 of our She's Got Game – She Can Coach program have wrapped up. Building on our momentum, we continued to grow our community of female coaches across both recreational and competitive streams. We are proud of every woman who got certified and is now making a difference on the pitch for the next generation of young athletes in Guelph.
A huge thank you to our sponsor, No Frills, for making these cohorts possible.
Project Details
Title and Partner
She’s Got Game - She Can Coach
The University of Guelph is a strategic partner of Guelph Soccer. Our agreement allows Guelph Soccer to use the University’s She’s Got Game logo and branding. Utilizing this existing brand will provide immediate recognition and trust from our community.
Target Population
Girls and Women, Aged 16+
Our target population is girls and women aged 16 and above, who are looking to further their personal and professional development through coaching.
Project Description
Address Specific Barriers to Coaching as Identified by Women
We will aim to reduce the barriers brought to our attention by women, specifically:
Time scarcity
Lack of confidence
Costs to pursue coaching certification/other financial constraints
Guelph Soccer partnered with the University of Guelph branding