{"id":20375,"date":"2023-09-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=20375"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:11:08","slug":"four-factors-driving-development-in-womens-sport","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-driving-development-in-womens-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Factors Driving Development in Women\u2019s Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n 25 Sep 2023 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Four Factors Driving Development in Women\u2019s Sport<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Coaching & Development<\/a>, Human Performance<\/a>, Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
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https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-driving-development-in-womens-sport\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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What we learned from Leaders Meet: Driving Step-Change in Female High Performance.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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A Human Performance article brought you by our Main Partners<\/p>\n

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By John Portch<\/h6>\n
How well are you serving your female athletes and what more could you be doing?<\/h6>\n

That was the question at the heart of Leaders Meet: Driving Step-Change in Female High Performance, our two-day event at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.<\/p>\n

On day one, speakers from organisations including Hockey Canada, British Cycling, High Performance Sport New Zealand, Harlequins and the UK Sports Institute all answered that question in their own way.<\/p>\n

This is a snapshot of their responses, four factors pulled from the discourse to illustrate that while female sport has come on leaps and bounds in a relatively short period of time, there is still a long way to go before female athletes, coaches and practitioners achieve parity with their male counterparts.<\/p>\n

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  1. Coaches: are you doing enough of the right things?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Male and female athletes are more similar than they are different, but there are differences, such as in bonding dynamics or the need to ask \u2018why?\u2019 on the training pitch (this is a trait more widely noted in female athletes than male). The most astute coaches recognise this and adapt accordingly. Danny Kerry, the Head Coach of the Canada women\u2019s field hockey team, has worked with male and female coaches and has, following considerable self-reflection, learned to tweak his approach to male and female cohorts. Emma Trott, an Academy Coach at British Cycling, has called upon her own experience as a rider to inform her work with Britain\u2019s young prospects to develop her coaching style. Kerry and Trott arrived at the same conclusion: when trying to optimise athletes, it is the environment that gets the performance out and that comes down to the coach.<\/p>\n

    What they said<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Danny Kerry on managing team vs individual dynamics:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cAll facets of coaching [consist of] trying to find an optimum for that particular team and then helping people adapt to the bell curve, finding their value in that, finding what works for them in that is the real craft of coaching \u2013 and in my experience that doesn\u2019t get discussed in coach development.\u201d<\/h4>\n

    Emma Trott on listening to athletes:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cPeople don\u2019t listen all the time. We hear what we want to hear and we want to hear it because we\u2019ve already made a decision in our head about how we\u2019re going to impact something rather than listening to what is actually being said. It\u2019s that question: \u2018How are you?\u2019 \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m fine\u2019 \u2013 what does that really mean?\u201d<\/h4>\n

    Next steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Coaches need to be empathetic to the needs of female athletes and that often requires the coach to be mindful of their own conduct and adapt accordingly.<\/li>\n
    • The issues that arise from female biology are numerous and there can be limiting factors on performance. However, it is important to understand that gains can still be made when the athlete is not at 100%.<\/li>\n
    • The coach needs to understand what is required of them at any given point in time. Sometimes it will be heavy instruction, at other times they need only offer words of encouragement or a serene demeanour.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      1. Is everyone on your team speaking up?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        In 2017, Helene Wilson took the reins of a talented but under-achieving Northern Mystics side in the ANZ Premiership, the national netball league of New Zealand. Two years later, they finished bottom of the table but, in 2021, were crowned champions. Wilson, who worked concurrently as a mentor at High Performance Sport New Zealand [HPSNZ, where she works full-time today], realised that her playing group were skilled but their diverse backgrounds, rather than representing a strength, created division and hindered alignment in the pursuit of high performance. That needed to change.<\/p>\n

        What she said<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Helene Wilson on the HPSNZ <\/em>Te H\u0101paitanga pilot programme [launched in 2019, it initially paired 12 emerging women coaches with experienced mentors, giving them guidance through workshops] and how it influenced her coaching at the Mystics:<\/em><\/p>\n

        \u201cDuring this time the penny dropped for me. We were busy teaching the coaches about tikanga<\/em>, the customary system of values and practices. I realised that space for ambiguity where we translate our different approaches and lenses to what really drives high performance was missing in my environment.\u201d<\/h4>\n

        Next steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

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        • Understand that everyone is a leader and leadership is defined by your actions and behaviours. Some have more responsibility in their role, but everyone has a role to play.<\/li>\n
        • Ensure that everyone feels included while also not fearing rejection, because they are the first to comply, first to be passive, and not speak up when you really need them to.<\/li>\n
        • Deploy yourself against a problem last. Lead from behind rather than from in front.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          1. Removing the physiological barriers to participation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            In the afternoon, Dr Nikki Brown, the Associate Professor in Female Health at St Mary\u2019s University in London; Emma Brockwell, a specialist women\u2019s health physiotherapist at PHYSIOMUM, a female pelvic health specialist clinic; and Dr Amal Hassan, the Women\u2019s Team Doctor at Harlequins, took to the stage to explore issues in female physiology, from skill acquisition during the menstrual cycle, being able to show up as best you can, and the risks presented by fashion over function in the use of sports bras.<\/p>\n

            What they said<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Nikki Brown on breast health:<\/em><\/p>\n

            \u201cIt\u2019s important to recognise that breasts will impact participation. Half of school girls drop out of participation because of their breasts, with one in three adults seeing the breasts as a barrier to participation. Then there\u2019s that performance aspect, with breast support, because [an athlete\u2019s] breasts will move during activity, and it changes how they move, it changes their confidence, changes their breathing, changes their muscle activity and movement patterns.\u201d<\/h4>\n

            Amal Hassan on the impact of the menstrual cycle:<\/em><\/p>\n

            \u201cPeriods can be a barrier to participation, a perceived barrier to skill and technical development through a season, can have health implications that really impact their performance, and it can stop certain players from developing at crucial points.\u201d<\/h4>\n

            Emma Brockwell on issues related to female pelvic floor dysfunction:<\/em><\/p>\n

            \u201cIt\u2019s understanding that pelvic floor dysfunction is not just in the perinatal population or the older population. In fact, it occurs in younger girls and female athletes.\u201d<\/h4>\n

            Next steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

              \n
            • There is more work to be done in normalising the conversation around periods, breast health or other concerns. These terms cannot remain taboo.<\/li>\n
            • What is your ethical code? If you\u2019re encouraging a practice you need to put in place a structure, decide who is leading the programme, who is driving the educational aspects, and who are your go-to people for answers.<\/li>\n
            • Teams with bigger budgets can fit out a sophisticated programme or offer bra-fitting assessments, but action could be as simple as putting up a bra-fitting poster in a changing room or on the back of the toilet door. Even little nudges can make a difference or spark a conversation about breast health issues.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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              1. Bridging the gap between innovation and research in women\u2019s sport with practical application<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                The UK Sports Institute [UKSI] has a major aim: to develop a nationwide programme to advance the science, medicine and application of female athlete health and performance support. However, as Richard Burden, the Co-Lead of Female Athlete Health & Performance at the UKSI, explains, there is a gap between innovation and research and delivery in female high performance environments.<\/p>\n

                What he said<\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u201cWhen delivering education sessions you can\u2019t assume that because you\u2019re talking to female athletes they know about the menstrual cycle, they know about bra fit \u2013 they don\u2019t all know about these things. Even when it comes to female coaches, you can\u2019t assume they know how to prioritise for female athletes.\u201d<\/h4>\n

                Next steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \n
                • It is important to find ways to increase the translation and applicability of research.<\/li>\n
                • You have to bring athletes and coaches on a journey through knowledge generation, education and the delivery of a programme.<\/li>\n
                • Ask yourselves: are we giving them a reason to engage? How can we be resourceful? How can we create more time? How can we improve practicality?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n
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