The “cost of football”: motherhood, coaching and work-family conflict

Martin, I and Bowes, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5635-106X, 2024. The “cost of football”: motherhood, coaching and work-family conflict. Managing Sport and Leisure. ISSN 2375-0472

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Abstract

Purpose/Rationale: The gender-specific needs of employed female football players are now recognised, but it is more complex for female coaches. As such, this research aimed to document the experiences of elite female coaches who are mothers as they navigate parenthood with paid work as a coach.

Design/Methodology/Approach: 4 full-time, elite level mother-coaches took part in a semi-structured interview, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis using the Ecological-Intersectional Model as a theoretical lens.

Findings: Professional female mother-coaches in women’s football in England report that they are exposed to several challenges. Mother-coaches felt pressure to choose their career over family, were perceived negatively by most colleagues, and highlighted the profession was unprepared for mothers. They relied on supportive individuals to navigate motherhood and coaching.

Practical Implications: Change is needed at both interpersonal and organisational levels in the football industry to better support mother-coaches at an individual level. This could include practical support for mother-coaches such as work flexibility, childcare support for out of hours work, and wider acceptance of family life within the industry.

Originality/Value: In highlighting the experiences of professional women football coaches and motherhood, and the navigation work-family conflict. This insight can provide a starting point for appropriate policy change.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Managing Sport and Leisure
Creators:	Martin, I. and Bowes, A.
Publisher:	Informa UK Limited
Date:	21 May 2024
ISSN:	2375-0472
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/23750472.2024.2354195 DOI 1914715 Other
Rights:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Managing Sport and Leisure on 21 May 2024, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2024.2354195
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	15 Jul 2024 12:58
Last Modified:	15 Jul 2024 12:58
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/51756

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