Coaching girls is more than just skills development - it's about creating an environment where they feel empowered, confident, and supported to reach their full potential.
With an eye on helping to keep youth girls and young women engaged with lacrosse, USA Lacrosse is pleased to launch a new partnership with Coaching HER – a free resource available to USA Lacrosse member coaches and officials.
Designed specifically for coaches of female athletes, Coaching HER™ offers free online courses, events, and trainings that challenge the status quo and provide practical tools to help coaches address issues specific to girls and women in sports. Coaching HER is a project of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota.
“We hope that making this groundbreaking educational content available to our USA lacrosse members will add greater value to their membership and provide coaches and program leaders with beneficial materials that they can incorporate into their local programs,” said Caitlin Kelley, senior director of sport experience at USA Lacrosse.
Coaching HER offers an evidence-informed curriculum that was co-created with girls and coaches from multiple sports across seven countries. It has been rigorously tested and has resulted in eight academic papers that prove its efficacy.
Statistics from the Tucker Center indicate that how a young female athlete feels about her coach is one of the most important factors in determining whether or not she keeps playing sports. Additionally, the Women’s Sport Foundation reports that organizations with trained coaches see 40% higher athlete retention among girls.
“We know that coaches are powerful role models who can impact girls' self-perceptions, experiences, and development,” Kelley said. “Data shows that the majority of girls say that a positive relationship with their coach is a top reason why they keep playing lacrosse. For that reason, we’re proud to offer these resources to our members so that we can all work together to build a supportive and inclusive environment for girls in lacrosse.”
USA Lacrosse member coaches and officials can access the Coaching HER resources by logging into their USAL Account and clicking into the My Transcript section.
About USA Lacrosse
USA Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is a Recognized Sports Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. As the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, USA Lacrosse fuels the growth, enriches the experience, and fields the best National Teams, supporting more than 425,000 members across the country.
