With the help of resources from the Coaching Association of Canada, women coaches are supporting each other—and transforming sports along the way.
The landscape of sports leadership is changing. Increasingly, women are taking their rightful place as administrators, senior staff, and coaches. The 2025-2026 Leadership Snapshot report from Canadian Women in Sport shows women are holding more national board seats than ever before and that almost half of senior staff are women.
These are encouraging indicators that things are headed in the right direction. However, women in sports still face barriers, and power gaps persist. Only one-third of CEOs in Canada sports are women, and women from equity-denied groups are under-represented. When it comes to coaching, women often cite the difficulty of balancing family care obligations with the demands of coaching. One coach shared how athletes’ parents would take turns watching her young kids at the rink while she ran practices. It underscores the importance of having a strong support system. What drives women forward is effective, active mentorship.
Bridging the Gap with Mentorship Programs
To help bolster support for women in coaching, mentorship programs have been developed by the Coaching Association of Canada, with the financial support of Sport Canada and Women and Gender Equity Canada (WAGE). This includes step-by-step resources to guide potential mentors, mentees, and sports administrators through the process of establishing a mentorship program for women coaches. Entitled Mentorship Guides for Advancing Women in Coaching, these guides are designed to help sports organizations create and run their own program, something that is especially helpful for organizations based outside of urban areas and regions that don’t have established supports already in place. The program includes a roadmap for workshops as well as resources to help both mentors and mentees determine their readiness, set goals, and work towards them in a formalized structure.
Coaches who have been through women in coaching programs share their experiences and the importance of mentorship:
Why is this an important program?
I believe strongly in the importance of supporting and advancing women in coaching. Seeing successful women leaders who are willing to share their experiences honestly, including both the successes and the challenges, helps make the coaching pathway feel more accessible and sustainable for others. I viewed this program as an opportunity not only to grow as a coach, but also to become part of a community committed to supporting and developing women in sport.
The experience reinforced something I believe now more than ever: mentorship matters. The impact of a great mentor extends far beyond one person. It influences how we lead, how we support others, and how we help create opportunities for the next generation. I am grateful that my mentor, Allison, invested in me, and I hope to do the same for others throughout my career.
Rachel Van Woezik
High Performance Women in Coaching mentee
What was your experience as a mentor?
I found that I experienced many benefits of being a mentor. I was more prepared, more informed, and more relaxed when I was coaching with a mentee. I found that I became more engaged and immersed as a coach working with my/our athletes. The amount of research and development resources that are now available to coaches is immense. I was able to locate newer/updated and coaching ideas and programs.
Mentoring women in coaching allows for those women who are passionate about coaching to build their confidence in themselves to continue to advance their coaching credentials and apply for high performance coaching roles. Each generation of women coaches continues to break down the gender inequity barriers in the high-performance coaching roles.
When young athletes see many women in coaching roles, it becomes more natural and normalized to them. They see that there can be many future opportunities in sport after their high-performance competition life is over.
Taryn VanSickle
WAGE Program mentor
What are some of the benefits of being mentored by another woman coach?
Getting the opportunity to connect with other coaches from across the country in different sports is priceless. Being able to connect with other like-minded women and share our successes and our struggles together is inspiring as we can cheer each other on and give each other advice, and realize that we aren’t alone.
To be able to have this much support as a young coach is priceless, and I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity, and I hope that I can pay it forward in the near future.
Syliva Masich
WAGE Program mentee
What would you tell an organization that was looking to develop a mentorship program for women coaches?
I would say “Just Do It”.
Leaders who prioritize mentorship actively support their athletes’ and coaches’ development and growth. They provide guidance, encouragement, and constructive feedback to help individuals navigate their athletic and coaching journeys, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Mentorship builds confidence, skills, and resilience, empowering individuals to succeed on and off the field.
Allison McNeill
High Performance Women in Coaching mentor
Check out our updated and free Mentorship Guides for Advancing Women in Coaching resources coach.ca/mentorship-guides.
