Breaking through barriers as a female head coach in men's professional ice hockey
Tikhonov, Tatjana (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024061423434
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024061423434
Tiivistelmä
The goal in the theoretical framework atempts to explain an in-depth look at research in the struggles of what it takes a female getting the opportunity become a head coach in a men’s professional ice hockey team.
Since there has not been much research done on this topic, to accomplish this, surveys, questionnaires and interviews have been done to get a better understanding of, if, when and potentially how it is possible for a female to become a head coach on a men’s professional ice hockey team.
During the inquiry we strive to dive deeper into the research data and hope to provide insight on the world of a female coach in men’s ice hockey. And the research process realize that if a woman is not given the opportunity to have a high position on the coaching staff, she’s not gonna be able to make it into being a head coach in the near future. We also realize that women prepare during their lifetime to have that single opportunity to make it, if they don’t go for it, the opportunity will pass them by.
The findings of this research shows that times have not changed as quickly as some would like. The hardships that a woman has to face to make it to the top, are gruesome and almost impossible. It has been shown that to be considered for a head-coaching position, or even an assistant coaching position the female coach has to have multiple accolades, awards, championship wins an even international and Olympic experience. A coach that does not possess any of those is not someone that the clubs will look at for a position as an assistant head coach. For those women that never played or coached professional ice hockey, but have the hockey knowledge to make it are overlooked and disregarded.
Ice hockey is growing as a sport by leaps and bounds, as the number of female players has tripled in the last few decades. More opportunity for female coaches to be able to coach at a higher levels should be easier to reach than ever before.
Since there has not been much research done on this topic, to accomplish this, surveys, questionnaires and interviews have been done to get a better understanding of, if, when and potentially how it is possible for a female to become a head coach on a men’s professional ice hockey team.
During the inquiry we strive to dive deeper into the research data and hope to provide insight on the world of a female coach in men’s ice hockey. And the research process realize that if a woman is not given the opportunity to have a high position on the coaching staff, she’s not gonna be able to make it into being a head coach in the near future. We also realize that women prepare during their lifetime to have that single opportunity to make it, if they don’t go for it, the opportunity will pass them by.
The findings of this research shows that times have not changed as quickly as some would like. The hardships that a woman has to face to make it to the top, are gruesome and almost impossible. It has been shown that to be considered for a head-coaching position, or even an assistant coaching position the female coach has to have multiple accolades, awards, championship wins an even international and Olympic experience. A coach that does not possess any of those is not someone that the clubs will look at for a position as an assistant head coach. For those women that never played or coached professional ice hockey, but have the hockey knowledge to make it are overlooked and disregarded.
Ice hockey is growing as a sport by leaps and bounds, as the number of female players has tripled in the last few decades. More opportunity for female coaches to be able to coach at a higher levels should be easier to reach than ever before.