The role of emotional intelligence
Lucy had male coaches growing up and says many of her team-mates did not have the confidence to talk openly and honestly with their coach , which hindered both their enjoyment and their development .
She believes women coaches often bring high levels of emotional intelligence and a natural appreciation of the softer skills , which are so important at the foundation level to get young people to fall in love with and stay involved with sport .
“ When I was 17 and 18 years old , I know that if I ' d had a female coach who was quite nurturing , I would have had more conversations with her about things I was going through at that time .”
Lucy says social awareness and showing sensitivity to players ’ needs and aspirations helps to build interpersonal trust , mutual respect , and closer emotional bonds .
“ I have girls in my team who talk to me like I am their parent sometimes . They are very open with me and I ’ m always making it clear to the girls that they can come to me . We have that relationship . It can be hard for some girls who don ’ t have female coaches to build the relationship they need .
“ I do feel there is a lot more nurturing in the girls ’ game and that females are more naturally equipped with those softer skills .
“ It ' s something we spoke about on the programme . For example , I made a point on a call when I was the only female in a group of 20 coaches about when girls go through puberty and start their periods .
“ When you are coaching 12 and 13-year-old girls and it is their time of the month , will a male coach know that , first of all , and secondly , will they know that research suggests they should decrease the amount of training at that time ; will they understand the range of physical and emotional symptoms and how to deal with them appropriately in a training session ? Some of the men admitted they had not considered that .”
And Lucy – who is playing her part attracting more girls into cricket , having increased the number of registered 10 to 18-year-olds at her cricket centre from 16 to nearly 50 in less than two years – said she looks forward to the day when females coaching male teams becomes the norm rather than the exception .
“ After all ,” she concludes , “ the skills women coaches bring are no different to those that men bring , so why shouldn ’ t women coach men ’ s teams ?”
Advancing with Lucy Arman 5