Despite the notable strides that have been made in terms of participation in sport, women continue to be underrepresented in sport leadership roles such as coaching and officiating. The 2014 United Nations (UN) International Working Group on Women’s Sport (IWG) noted that: ‘Women are significantly under-represented in management, administration, coaching and officiating, particularly at the higher levels’ (IWG, 2014 p. 6). This statement, part of the Helsinki Declaration, was made in the context of how sport can support the UN Millennium Development Goals. Across today’s sporting landscape, women’s sport experiences typically occur in male-dominated contexts, which favour men and masculinity (Norman, 2016).

Recent data indicates the men to women ratio in high-performance coaching over the last four consecutive Olympic cycles has been approximately 10:1. Among US high school sporting officials, only 11% are women, and even a greater disparity exists with officiating sports traditionally played by men (Nordstrom, Warner, & Barnes, 2016).

This data highlights a systemic absence of women in coaching and officiating leadership roles across sport. In this chapter we will discuss the impact this has on developing sport for women and girls. Specifically, this chapter aims to:

- Provide an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of coaches and officials in women and girls sport delivery.

- Explore career development pathways for improving opportunities for women in coaching and officiating.

- Present a critical reflection of the differences and similarities between athlete development and coach/official development (systems and structures) for women and girls.

We begin by discussing the gendered nature of coaching before turning our attention to women’s experiences in sport officiating. We draw on relevant literature throughout the chapter and identify issues and opportunities for further research. We conclude by providing practical actions and recommendations to help facilitate coaching and officiating development for women and girls

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-de-haan/