Women who coach sport are twice as likely to be bullied as men

Across all coaching roles from grassroots to elite, 30% of women report experiencing bullying compared with 15% of men, within a system not designed to fully support women. Women also report higher levels of harassment (21% vs 12% of men) and aggression or violence (22% vs 19% of men).

The perpetrators of harassment of women coaches, often sexualised, are mostly fellow coaches, reflecting hierarchical, male-dominated environments. Aggression and violence most often take the form of intimidation from parents, with women more likely than men to have their decisions challenged or authority undermined. 

The majority of coaches work in grassroots sport where levels of harm are unacceptable but it gets worse for women as they progress into the talent pathway and high-performance where women are increasingly outnumbered.

Among women coaching at grassroots level, 26% report bullying, compared with 38% in talent pathway roles and 46% in high-performance environments. Men report consistently lower levels across all domains (10% grassroots; 26% talent pathway; 24% high-performance). For women, authority brings risk rather than protection, creating conditions that make long-term participation increasingly difficult to sustain.

However, safeguarding is only part of the problem. The research shows that women face discrimination within the employment environment where their voices are marginalised and their competency more frequently questioned.

Coaching across the UK is treated as informal labour with relaxed approaches to contracts, opaque progression routes and inconsistent support. While this lack of structure disadvantages all coaches, women are disproportionately disadvantaged, particularly in male-dominated environments where they are less likely to be part of the networks that influence opportunity.

The research shows that the coaching system itself does not adequately support women:

• Men are more likely to hold permanent full-time coaching roles, while women are more likely to be unpaid, on zero-hours contracts or without formal agreements. Men are almost twice as likely as women to be in permanent full-time roles.
• Women are least likely to receive regular feedback (only 12% say they do) or to have conversations about progression although 41% of workforce leaders say feedback is given regularly.
• 18% fewer women than men say their opinions are heard and respected, with the gap widening in talent pathway and high-performance environments.
• Despite 95% of organisations claiming zero tolerance, women coaches are more likely to avoid perpetrators than to report them as trust in the systems set up to protect them is low.

These findings come at a pivotal moment for sport. With unprecedented growth, visibility and ambition across the sector, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redesign coaching to support women to lead safely, sustainably and on equal terms.

Women in Sport CEO Stephanie Hilborne OBE said: “There is a huge opportunity here to transform the culture of coaching at a critical time for women’s sport. Currently women are being put off coaching or pushed out of coaching by a culture that exposes them to greater harm, offers less security and challenges their authority. What we are seeing is a convergence of misogyny: women are not yet accepted as equal in sport and nor are they accepted in leadership roles.

“If sport wants a coaching workforce fit for the future, it must put clear anti-misogyny policies in place, backed by training, to tackle harmful behaviours and the structures and cultures that allow inequality to persist. Women deserve to be supported, protected and valued in coaching and if we are to capitalise on the exciting growth of women’s sport we need to get this right.”

Chair of Sport England, Chris Boardman CBE said: “We welcome this research. It is a clear wake-up call. From safety fears when exercising, to online abuse and bullying in coaching, too many women and girls still face barriers across sport at every level.

“These findings underline the need for real cultural and system change, particularly to improve the experience and retention of female coaches. If we are serious about closing the gender activity gap, women and girls must feel safe, valued and supported — and see women in senior coaching and leadership roles, visibly proving that sport is a place where they belong.”

Recommendations

Women in Sport is calling for sustained cultural reform across the sport system to improve the experiences of women coaches. With the right reforms, coaching can be professionalised, quality and retention improved and environments created where all coaches – women and men – are supported to thrive.

To make this change real, we recommend that Sports Councils embed the following expectations as a condition of grant funding:

• Introduce and implement anti-misogyny policies at all organisational levels, supported by appropriate training.
• Use gender impact reporting and gender budgeting to identify and address disparities in pay, expenses and investment between the sexes in coach development.
• Take active steps towards gender-balanced leadership, with transparent annual reporting on the gender composition of senior leadership and the coaching workforce.
• Establish and publicise independent, trusted reporting mechanisms for coaches to report harm safely and with confidence.

These actions set a clear direction for change. Women in Sport is encouraging all organisations that employ or deploy coaches to adopt them as part of a shared commitment to safer, fairer and more sustainable coaching environments.