How did ‘Can She Play’ start?
This has been a passion project for some time. For me, in the form of coaching. When I was taking a low-level coaching course at the beginning of my coaching career, I was told that if I used a women’s team for my logged coaching hours, I wouldn’t pass the course. “Why, isn’t this course about technique and function?” I asked. I was told categorically that very few coaches pass when they work with women’s teams. Challenge accepted. I went on to pass the course and from that point on have dedicated my time and energy to helping develop the ability of the girls and women I have worked with, while also trying to raise the profile of women’s sport, soccer more specifically.
She Can Play is a message of defiance, and it is twofold.
When girls start playing a sport (which is later than boys), the beliefs and narratives are that girls don’t work hard. Aren’t as dedicated. Aren’t as resilient. The truth is that girls are just as hard-working, dedicated, passionate, and resilient…if not more so because of the barriers they are often made to endure. These character traits often result in girls that have put in countless hours of training to develop their technique and game understanding. She Can Play means she IS good enough to play every sport to a high level.
Participation for girls starts later and finishes earlier than for boys. This can be because of a lack of program availability, cultural differences wherein the boys’ sporting activity is prioritized, lack of funding, and lack of transportation along with a whole multitude of other reasons. The lack of female coaches and lack of understanding from male coaches can also have a huge impact on participation. Girls play sports to socialize and be part of a team. When coaches don’t understand this, training can become an unpleasant experience. Crucially this can lead to negative perceptions of girls’ sports being unserious and less competitive, which in turn develops perceptions of being inferior which girls tend to take to heart. This makes it even more essential that the positive elements of girls’ and women’s sports are amplified. We must create an environment where girls and women can feel safe to participate. She Can Play means that all girls and women must be able to play any sport at every level with the same level of investment as everyone else.
What does ‘She Can Play’ want to achieve?
Our mission is three-tiered.
· Raise the profile of girls’ and women’s sports.
· Help continue to improve the developmental experience for girls at the youth level.
· Improve participation by helping to break down barriers that exist currently.
How can you help ‘She Can Play’?
Spread the word. Be an advocate and supporter of girls’ and women’s sports.
Donate to your local sports club.
Buy She Can Play merchandise. Profits will be used to help make sports more accessible to those that have difficulty playing.