
Reimagining Coaching Culture (Carnegie Conversations Episode 5)
From Beckett Talks by Leeds Beckett University
February 5, 2026 · 49 min · Season 3 · Episode 5
About this episode
The episode discusses the under-representation of women in coaching and the systemic issues contributing to this problem.
In this episode of Carnegie Conversations, Tanya Arnold looks at why women remain under-represented in coaching and why the answer isn’t simply “more programmes.” With Leanne Norman (Director of the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub), Annette Stride (Director of Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society), and Vicky Huyton (Female Coaching Network), the discussion unpacks the stubborn numbers and the tougher truth behind them: many women who do enter coaching report poor experiences, from exclusion and discrimination to bullying and unsafe cultures. The guests argue the focus must shift from fixing women to fixing the system... pay gaps, costly CPD, informal recruitment networks, and job designs built around the “unencumbered worker.” They also challenge the idea that women should only coach in women’s sport, pointing to the National Football League as an example of how deliberate intervention can normalise women in elite roles. Listen now to learn how we can begin to reimagining coaching culture!
People in this episode
Host: Tanya Arnold
Guests: Leanne Norman, Annette Stride, Vicky Huyton
Topics covered
- coaching culture
- gender representation
- women in sport
- systemic issues
- bullying in coaching
- elite roles for women
Keywords
- coaching
- women in coaching
- discrimination
- pay gaps
- CPD
- recruitment
- bullying
- elite sports
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub, Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society, Female Coaching Network, National Football League
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