Where have all the coaches gone?

I've been coaching youth sports for several years. The fantastic programs like WAGS, AYSO, and AYBA have dedicated boards of directors who are both women and men.

I've often wondered, though, where are the women head coaches? Out of 20 girls' U12 soccer teams in Region 4 this year, there are no female head coaches. I don't think anyone can argue that there's a significant difference between adult male coaches and young girl athletes in the way they approach sports.

When AYSO surveyed their players and asked what was important to them, winning was not one of the top three answers. There's a story I often tell about my daughter Blake and her first basketball game. Two hours after the game had ended, still dressed in her uniform and sitting on the couch at home, she looked at her mom and asked, "Did we win?"

Recently, after the end of one game, I was sulking over a defeat when I noticed that the girls, after playing their hearts out, could not care less about the game's outcome. I pointed this out to a couple of the dads and they, like me, were surprised. I then discussed it with some of the moms, and they were not at all surprised. They understood.

When we male coaches don't understand, however, there is a possibility that some girls will become disillusioned and stop playing sports altogether. Participation in sports is important in the development of our children, and to have any of them give up is unacceptable.

The women I've talked with about sports and coaching are very busy. Many also feel that they don't understand the game(s) well enough to coach the kids. There are ways to help solve those problems. Co-coaching, for example, could be a solution. Two busy moms could share the head coach position. I'd also like to see a training program open to all, not just women, who feel their lack of knowledge prevents them from coaching.

I call it "building on our strengths," and adding more women head coaches would be doing just that. Drew Fine Oak Park Fine is a candidate for Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council