Four out of five women coaches have experienced sexism and misogyny in their working environment, a new Kick It Out survey has found.
Eighty per cent of the 115 coaches surveyed by the charity, ranging from those working in the professional game down to grassroots, said they had encountered discrimination, with 70 per cent of respondents saying they experienced sexism while on a coaching course.
Of that 70 per cent, 71 per cent did not feel comfortable reporting what they had experienced to the course leader.
Although 60 per cent of all respondents thought coaching was an inclusive space, 54 per cent of those who said they had experienced sexism or misogyny admitted they had thought about quitting coaching as a result of their experiences.
Over half (57 per cent) of all respondents felt they had been spoken to differently based solely on their gender, 55 per cent recalled having their opinions or suggestions overlooked and 48 per cent said they were questioned over their knowledge of the rules.
Kick It Out’s chief operating officer Hollie Varney said: “At a time of huge growth for the women’s game, it’s alarming that over half of the coaches surveyed said they had thought about quitting because of the sexism they had experienced.
“Many of the women we spoke to shared their passion and love for coaching but also talked about the exhaustion that came from being regularly undermined, questioned, and overlooked in the coaching environment.”
Of the 80 per cent who had experienced sexism or misogyny, 56 per cent said this came from coaching staff, either at their own club or from coaches of an opposing club, while 40 per cent experienced sexism from the parents of children they coached.
Varney, who herself coaches an under-14 girls’ team in the Junior Premier League and is working towards a UEFA B qualification, told the PA news agency: “It’s those little micro-aggressions – ‘are you one of the parents?’ or ‘are you here to run the line?’.
“People might not think, ‘Oh, that’s sexist’, but when it’s just aimed at a woman and you wouldn’t do it to someone of the same sex, it makes you feel uncomfortable.
“Then there’s also some of the actual outright aggressive behaviour that you see and I’ve certainly experienced this – (people) swearing directly at you, I’ve heard examples of dads shouting at female coaches telling them they don’t know what they’re doing, to be quiet. Just dismissive of their experience because they’re women.
“I’m not surprised by the statistics and some of the feedback because it shows what a journey we have to go on in terms of that culture change, within football and within this coaching environment.”
Reports to Kick It Out of sexism and misogyny in the wider game were up 400 per cent in the 2022-23 season compared to the prior campaign.
Kick It Out has employed grassroots coach educators in an effort to give coaches the skills to tackle unconscious bias, while clubs and other organisations can access resources on how to tackle sexism and misogyny on Kick It Out’s ‘The Academy’ platform.
Haaland has 'full trust' in Guardiola to halt Man City slump
Erling Haaland has "full trust" in the "best manager in the world", Pep Guardiola, to get Manchester City back on track against Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Guardiola's side have lost four matches in a row across all competitions, which is the Spaniard's longest losing run in his entire managerial career.
The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).
But after putting pen to paper on a new two-year contract extension at the club earlier this week, Guardiola has his eyes firmly set on returning to winning ways on home soil.
And Haaland, who has scored 105 goals in 114 appearances under Guardiola at City, believes they can make up the gap to leaders Liverpool, who are five points ahead.
"When you look at what he's been doing for the club, he's not bad, is he? So he's got my full trust," Haaland told Sky Sports.
"And if he tells me something, I'd better do it because he knows the best in the end. Everyone knows that. So I'm sure he will find solutions now as well. I'm sure of that.
"[Guardiola] demands us to be at our best in every training session, in every game. And that's what we need to do. It hasn't been good enough, losing four games now, but let's try to win the next."
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash
Antonio Conte hopes that everything will go well for Claudio Ranieri after he came out of retirement to take charge of Roma, but only after their Serie A clash this weekend.
Ranieri was tempted back into management by a return to where he began as a player. His third spell at Roma comes after the club sacked two coaches already this season and with the team 12th in the standings.
A trip to leaders Napoli is Ranieri's first task, and Conte is looking forward to meeting up with the 73-year-old.
"I am pleased to see Claudio, I have great esteem for him and there is also friendship," Conte told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.
"I am happy with the chance he has been given. It will be a tough game, for us and for them. Last year, Roma finished ahead of Napoli, they are in the Europa League and had a good transfer window.
"They are not performing according to expectations and I hope for Claudio that everything starts to work after Sunday's game."
The arrival of Ranieri in place of Ivan Juric brings with it not just the danger of the 'new manager bounce' but also upsets Conte's plans for the game.
"When a team changes coach there is an important input on a nervous level," Conte said.
"They are at the third change on the bench. It's inevitable that, if Juric had remained, we knew what kind of team we were going to face.
"Now it's an enigma, we don't have much information nor do we know how they will deal with us. So let's think about ourselves, there is a desire and enthusiasm to continue this path."
After a streak of 21 consecutive home wins in Serie A, Conte lost his last home league match (0-3 against Atalanta). Only once in his career has he recorded two consecutive home defeats in the competition: in November 2009, when he was in charge of Atalanta (against Juventus and Roma).
Napoli are top of the table, but Conte knows it is still early, and with just two points separating the top six clubs, which includes the likes of Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, for now, it is a different title race than usual.
"Only 12 games have passed and there are many teams within very few points," he said.
"We are doing well, but so are the others. There isn't one team which has distanced the others. Perhaps there is a little amazement in seeing some teams in those positions in the standings."
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