MUNICH (Germany) - The initial phase of ICOACHGIRLS, a program that was launched as an EU-funded project and aims to address the gender gap in sports coaching and ensure that more girls participate in, and stay engaged with sports, has reached a very promising conclusion. FIBA Europe identified six clubs, representing different European regions, to carry out the segment of the pilot phase that was specific to basketball, and they have all now reported back with heir assessment.
CB Ensanche de Vallecas in Spain, BK Brandýs nad Labem in Czechia, House of Sports Kortrijk in Belgium, Alytus Sports and Recreation Center in Lithuania, CSM Constanta in Romania and Nottingham Academy Wildcats in Great Britain were tasked with testing the program's resources.
The program provides coaches with research-based resources, training and education, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to create a more inclusive, engaging, and girl-friendly coaching environment.
The next phase of the program, ICOACHGIRLS+, will aim to expand on these foundations and develop basketball-specific coaching strategies tailored to specific age groups of girls.
The key objectives of ICOACHGIRLS include:
Increasing the number of qualified coaches working with girls
Encouraging more women to become coaches
Providing gender-sensitive coaching education
Retaining more girls in sports by making training environments more welcoming
Challenging traditional coaching approaches that may not suit young female athletes It is supported by a range of sports organizations in addition to FIBA Europe, including European universities, other federations and clubs, to ensure its impact across different sports disciplines. FIBA