In a significant step toward addressing the underrepresentation of female head coaches in hockey, a dedicated forum was held online on Tuesday, April 29 to kickstart a broader initiative aimed at encouraging more female coaches to take on leadership roles at closing the gender gap in coaching.
Despite 72% of hockey players in Ireland being women and girls, female coaches remain underrepresented at higher levels. Currently, only 2 out of 20 head coaches in EY Hockey League are women. This is not unique to Ireland; similar trends are seen across Europe with Belgium (2/24), the Netherlands (1/24), and Germany, England, and Spain (0 female head coaches) in their respective top leagues.
This disparity is echoed across other sports as well. In the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association, for example, the vast majority of coaches are male, and in the Women’s League of Ireland, just one team is led by a female head coach.
Encouragingly, the numbers show that many women are entering the coaching pathway at the early stages. 69% of participants of Fundamentals of Coaching courses were female, and 56% at Level 1. But the figure drops dramatically to just 23% at Level 2, according to 2024 data. The forum aimed to explore why this decline happens and how it can be reversed.
25 coaches attended the forum, which provided a valuable space to share experiences and insights. Common challenges highlighted included:
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Family commitments and time constraints
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Lack of female role models in coaching
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Confidence to take on head coach roles issues
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Limited support within clubs or schools
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General lack of awareness of coaching opportunities
This forum is only the beginning. The next steps will see the launch of a female coach mentoring programme, supporting 8-10 coaches through one-on-one guidance and community-building opportunities. As part of the programme, additional events will be held which will be open to all female coaches, not to just those enrolled within the mentorship programme. A series of webinars and events will also be held as part of the programme and will be open to all female coaches, not just those formally enrolled within the mentorship programme.
This initiative signals a focus on supporting female coaches in hockey, with the goal of creating a more inclusive and representative coaching community across all levels of the sport.