In early January, North Shore Girls' Soccer Club (NSGSC) - based in North Vancouver, Canada - started their latest female coach mentorship program.
Its aim is to give young female coaches a chance to further their coaching journey, developing the skills to coach and mentor the next generation of players at the club.
The program, open to those aged 16 and above, is intended to broaden the base of female coaches in the local area.
NSGSC is one of Canada’s oldest and largest female-first community clubs, with more than 145 teams from ages three through to adults.
Englishman Wayne Cleverly, who spent more than nine years with Calgary Foothills Soccer Club and as a consultant for both Canada Soccer and Alberta Soccer, started as the club's director of coaching in January.
Women’s Soccer Coaching spoke with Wayne to find out more about the mentor program...
WSC: Tell us a bit about the coach mentorship program...
WC: "It allows women to be role models for our young female players and spend time supporting player and coach development in grassroots soccer.
"The program provides a female grassroots coach certification opportunity, with other materials and coach training hours given to build confidence in young aspiring coaches just starting on their journey.
"The program has been running for a couple of years now, with more than 50 junior female coaches in the program."
"There are many very good female coaches already, but we need more...."
WSC: What does the program involve?
WC: "The young female coaches in our mentorship program spend time with grassroots female players to support parent volunteers in their delivery of sessions and creating a fun developmental environment at training and games.
"We offer our participants online coaching modules and on-field coaching demonstrations, as well as continued mentorships from our club staff with workshops covering multiple topics and tasks.
"The club provides opportunities and mentorship to coaches, which allows them to gain experiences and coaching knowledge through multiple ages and stages of development.
"This is an ongoing process starting at grassroots, where we help develop these females into coaches who want to coach long-term within the game.
"We feel very strongly that being an all-female club means we also provide a pathway for female coaches."
WSC: Who is the program aimed at and what response have you had from young female coaches?
WC: "The program targets players under-17 and older. All current female players can participate in the coaching program.
"So far, we’ve had an outstanding response with big numbers within the program and we are looking to grow more engagement and opportunities in 2022 and beyond."
WSC: What is the current situation with young female coaches in Canada?
WC: "There is lots of work to be done in this area, but we hope the Olympics success of the women’s national team [Canada won the gold medal at the Tokyo games] will mean more females can dream and become strong leaders in the game, as coaches and coach developers.
"I think all clubs are striving to have more female coaches within the game and providing more opportunities to coach part-time or full-time within the game.
"There are many very good female coaches already, but we need more."
WSC: What are the future plans for the female coaches on the course?
WC: "Our aim is to grow numbers and certify as many young females as we can, who can then develop their love for coaching, give back to their community and club and support young females to dream.
"We host coaching courses through the provincial and national organizations. As a coach developer for Canada Soccer, I personally am able to support their certification and ongoing mentorship as they start off in coaching.
"This is a big part of the club and a lot of great work is going in to make this a strong support network of coaches."
WSC: And, finally, what are the future plans for the program and how can female coaches get involved?
WC: "We aim to make this a leading female coach development hub, where women in soccer and other sports can see that North Shore Girls Soccer Club is providing opportunities and pathways for young females to get into coaching and be strong role models for children.
"We regularly reach out to females and provide access for them to get involved in coaching. Keep an eye on our website and social media accounts for future opportunities."
CASE STUDY
MEGHAN DOUGLAS (TOP LEFT)
My experience of being a coach with Canada’s largest all-female football club has truly been amazing.
The opportunities and pathways that NSGSC provides for all of our members is incredible and is contributing to the growth and awareness of women’s soccer in our country.
Through the female mentorship program at the club, I have gained experiences, resources, knowledge and, most importantly, confidence through practice of designing and running sessions alongside learning from coach education workshops.
The program supports me in all areas of coaching and allows me to be my own person within a technical framework of delivery. The club provides me ongoing 360-degree feedback and inspires me to challenge ideas and thought process around player development with young female players.
North Shore Girls has over 200 female coaches in the club and having the chance to discuss ideas and philosophies is a powerful tool in inspiring us to continue to coach and work through the landscape of soccer here in Canada.
Through my work at NSGSC, I have realized that my role as a Coach is so much more than teaching the skills of the game. I am part of a supportive team with common goals to develop and grow.
I am very excited to continue this journey, experiencing our players and club evolve together.
Meghan Douglas, 24, is a coach with North Shore Girls Soccer Club. She has been involved in the game since the age of five, playing at the highest levels in the province, finishing her career as a varsity player for the University of British Columbia.
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