“It takes a village”: Women’s experiences coaching high school sport

ABSTRACT We know little about the level of the sport industry that impacts the most athletes in the United States, high school sport. This study seeks to understand the experiences of women coaching in high schools and how they balance their full-time jobs with their part-time coaching. Without girls seeing women in leadership positions in sport, they may not consider playing or coaching in higher levels of sport, much less the front office or other lead administrative roles. Ecological systems theory with a focus on organizational support and interpersonal relationships theoretically frame the study. Qualitative interviews with 20 high school coaches were conducted. We found that support within the family, community, and organization allowed these women to persist within these coaching positions. Women who had flexible and accommodating administrators were able to balance expectations of work and family better. Avenues for future research to build on this exploratory study are offered.