The underrepresentation of women in High Performance coaching roles in Australia is a critical issue, with less than 10% of the top 36 funded High Performance sports led by women head coaches.
The Women in High Performance Coaching Project (WiHPC) has been established to address this situation and drive immediate action to create a more diverse and successful coaching ecosystem by 2032.
Why this work matters
Coaching is a priority area within Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy, and the AIS has dedicated significant investment towards the ongoing development and growth of elite coaches to achieve excellence. Coaches drive athlete, team and program performance and success. Increasing the representation and experience of Women in High Performance Coaching is critical in enabling a world class coaching and performance environment .
“We must be more inclusive and take action to remove the complexity and challenges facing women coaches.”
Matti Clements, Executive General Manager, AIS Performance
Incorporating women coaches diversifies our training approach. Their unique perspectives including female specific health and performance understanding enhances our ability to support athletes effectively.
Having WiHPC enhances athlete development programs, embodies inclusion, and ensures a robust pipeline towards podium success and beyond.
Diverse coaching teams that include women coaches enrich our expertise and knowledge base and keep Australia at the forefront of global sports advancements.
Increasing women coaches showcases our commitment to diversity and inclusion. By nurturing their talents, we maximise human potential, strengthen internal cohesion and enhance our reputation and ability to attract and retain top talent.
Toolkits and resources
Actionable toolkits, across the identified strategic focus areas, have been developed in response to the insights and recommendations generated by stakeholder activities and engagement efforts of the WiHPC Project.
These resources aim to enhance our performance outcomes but also promote a diverse and inclusive environment in line with our vision: “We win well to inspire Australians.”
| Behaviours, culture and environment | Systems supporting diversity | Strategies for development | Visibility and storytelling |
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Refer to Toolkits and Resources
Get involved: Contact us
The next phase of the WiHPC project will require continued support and engagement with organisations and sports. Please contact us if you are interested in ‘testing’ some of our toolkits and resources, or you have stories to share!
In the next phase of the WiHPC project we wish to engage more directly with researchers in targeted areas of interest. Please email hpcoachdevelopment@ausport.gov.au if you are interested in supporting this project.