How to use your club’s committee to engage and empower women

For any of you involved in club committees, this is a busy time of year.

Seasons have started, or are due to start; players need to be registered; kit and equipment must be checked or purchased; and volunteers have to be recruited.

Last year, I hosted an episode of the Sport Sister podcast that focused on women in leadership and it made me think about how important club committees are in providing opportunities to females in sport.

So, I thought I would share some of my top tips on how you can best utilise your club’s committee to engage and empower women.

 

Review your committee set-up

Look at who currently sits on your club’s committee. What are their roles? Do you have representation from different genders, ethnicities and people with disabilities?

If not, think about how you can encourage people from under-represented groups to join. Do you have someone on your committee whose role it is to grow women’s and girls’ participation within the club? 

Generally, clubs with someone to drive this area see the biggest success.

 

Identify gaps and proactively recruit in these areas

Speak to partners, such as a local or regional federation, if you would like to increase representation from women, the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minorities or any other groups in society. 

They might be able to introduce you to some people who could be interested in the roles or share an advert on your behalf.

Talk to the parents and carers of players at your club and tell them what you want to do and why – they might be keen to support.

 

Think about succession planning

Consider how you can encourage younger people to get involved with running the club. 

 

Perhaps you could form a youth committee to give young people a voice and prepare them for a role on the committee in the future? Don’t always approach their meetings in the way you run your committee meetings because this might not appeal to them. 

Instead, ask them how they want the meetings to run and take their lead, but always make sure there is adult support available if they need it.

 

Talk to the women around your club

Mothers, grandmothers and carers may all have certain skills and experience to bring to the table.

Cement those relationships, then build their confidence so they feel they have something valuable to contribute, even if they don’t know anything about football.

If they have organised a three-year-old’s birthday party, then organising kids to have fun on a soccer field is easy.

 

Support new club committee members

Once you have got someone willing to help, hold on to them!

You may associate inductions with your day job but they are also a great way to support new volunteers or committee members.

Make sure you give them all the information they need to carry out their role and ensure there is someone they can contact with any questions.

Allocate them time to spend with other committee members to learn about their roles and check in with them regularly to see whether they need any more support.

 

Look at all the opportunities you provide for women and girls

Compare it to the opportunities you provide for men and boys. Are they equal? Where can improvements be made?

Make changes as you need to - consider playing, coaching and other volunteering opportunities to ensure your club is fully inclusive.

 

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Club committees play such an important role in providing sporting opportunities for women and girls. 

Use this as a chance to provide positive role models for young girls and opportunities for women to show what they can do in a leadership role.

 

To visit the Sport Sister website click here!