1-9 sounds like a great foundation! And you are definitely hearing different things about the program than others are.
Foundation is not about a record. It is establishing a culture, teaching a playing style that is different than the previous regime. She has not even had a spring season to teach them her new style (which is dramatically different than the previous staff). If you want to build a program properly, you do not cut corners. You take the short term bumps for longer term stability. I know players on the team. Their comments are not 'rumors'. They are direct sources. Again, we get it. You lost out on the AZ job.
They will. They had a great win over their rival ASU to end the season on a high note. Exciting game! Good luck on the job hunt this year, CW. Maybe you will get a new job this go around!
Agree that it takes time. 3-4 years to turn over the roster to fit your style. Unfortunately, as someone posted on the other thread, AD’s are becoming increasingly impatient. They want to win now, many times without offering enough support of the program. Hopefully she is given enough time to do it.
2-9 in conference play is certainly something to be celebrated! Congratulations to Arizona for their ‘ending the season on a high note’ trophy!
LMU coach fired for verbal abusing players, Idaho state the same. I think we need to acknowledge that this is a personality trait in people, it's not a gender thing. These young women need good roles models, period. A person should inspire you no matter their gender or race. A male coach can and should be inspired by the likes of Pat Summitt, Dawn Staley, Jill Ellis, Eric Walsh, Becky Hammon etc..(the list could go on and on). Because their great leaders, a lot of assistant coaches out there need to understand, being a leader isn't for everyone. P.S also in my time I've heard more female players say they never want to play for a woman, compared to how many have said they would rather play for a woman.. And before all the feminist come flying at me! I have said to those females commit to play for 'the person' that best suits you regardless of their gender.
I think we are jumping the gun here way to quickly. A coach is not a bad coach or a good coach on the base of one season. If a coach has 3 losing seasons in a row followed by a good winning season does that mean that are a great coach? Or if a coach has 3 winning seasons in a row and then has a losing season does that make then a poor coach? I think it is too early to judge the Arizona coach .
That is interesting. I have heard more parents and players say that they want to play for a female. No, I am not just saying this. I hear it more and more often as there are more women involved in youth soccer, so they have an experience playing for a woman. I would also argue, in your statement, that many of those you reference have never had a female coach.
Or possibly they have only had one or two females coaches and had a bad experience. As an aside, of all the coaches I had growing up, one was a stand out favorite and the type of coach I tried to find for my kids. He was kind but tough. He praised the good things we did and merely pointed out what we were doing wrong. Forty years later I found out he went on to molest the younger sister of one of my teammates. There is more to the story, but yikes!
I have actually heard both to be honest. Some prefer a female role model. Others find it difficult to play for a female. Different strokes for different folks. I’ve seen male coaches turn out to be a disaster. I’ve seen female coaches turn out to be a disaster. Schools should focus on simply trying to find the best candidate to lead their program based on the situation they are in. I find it interesting though that many schools do not solicit input from their student athletes as to what they’re looking for in a coach during the hiring process, but then listen perhaps too much once the hire has been made.
Okay boys and girls, and anyone else, here's your thread about gender and coaching if you want to discuss it rather than choke up the hotseat thread. Context means alot- coaches refer to their teams as boys or girls all the time. But referring to someone as 'that boy' or 'that girl' is sometimes intentionally demeaning. I was going to start a thread called "therapy" and see who claims to be getting it or providing it here on an anonymous forum...
It may be worth some time to read at least part (pages 1-6) of the relatively new NWSL Policy to Prevent and Eliminate Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying. This seems to me a good indicator of what contemporary culture among female athletes says will not be accepted (and likely will be outed) in terms of coach behavior towards female athletes. Further, as exemplified by recent NWSL history, it appears that adherence to these kinds of policies is becoming a strict and absolute requirement. It has occurred to me that some of the recent coaching decisions school administrations have made both in firing and hiring could be related to the kinds of coach behavior standards expressed in the policy. For example, a qualification for a coaching job could include ability and willingness to comply with the kinds of standards expressed in the policy. In other words, Who is willing and able to adapt and who is not? Who has a positive attitude towards these kinds of standards and who resists them? In a sense, it does not matter if you agree or disagree with these standards as strict and absolute. This is the new world of elite female athletics. In Darwinian terms, Adapt or be not selected.
Agreed for the most part @cpthomas. Amanda Cromwell is finding this out as well for those who think this just applies to men coaching women. The part where I disagree is that you didn't go far enough. The world had changed in education/athletics on the women's and MEN's side and it is not going back. I know this is a women's forum, but you can't treat men the same way you did either.
It is interesting that this occurs way more on the womens side than the mens that coaches are labeled as ‘abusive.’ I doubt that is due to there being more coaches who are abusive on the womens side and it is perhaps more likely a ‘cry wolf’ culture that is currently being created. There are certainly examples of abhorrent abuse- Paul Riley stands out above the rest, however it seems athletes know the buttons to push when they don’t like someone and female soccer players are using this more than most.
NWSL is being transparent now, and leading the way. They have to be after the previous issues. I doubt there are any more issues in NWSL than elsewhere. Theirs have just become public, where other leagues keep it covered up. The women's national teams players have used their platform to make this public.
Not sure if this will be a popular post, but anyone wonder if this isn't specific to this particular league? There are certainly a few of the instances that were egregious and serious. But if you added up the NWSL issues, they would probably top all of the other Pro Sports leagues combined in the US. Maybe the world. Is there a chance this is an entitled group of athletes who has taken power and are abusing their power.... Not the other way around? There are some horror stories from vets around that league. My daughter has a few friends who played in the league, and said the older players are pretty controlling and mean. Just a thought.
Wow, the condescention is just dripping around here. Maybe we're hearing more from these women because they are the most successful, famous, and powerful female athletes in America. (I would guess there has been more evidence of abuse of female gymasts over time, but these are young girls and are more likely operating in isolation.) And maybe they don't want to be treated like sh!t anymore. Yet you're acting like they should just shut up and take it. As denizens of an internet forum on women's soccer, you probably know that women are different from men. So maybe we ought to treat them differently. Or here's a radical thought. Maybe we should stop treating the men like shit, too.
You attributed a quote to me that wasn't said by me, so I am not sure if you are talking to me or not. I am not speaking of actual abuse. What I am speaking about is the definition of abuse.This is also the same group of powerful athletes that ran off of Tom Sermani and tried to run off Jill Ellis from the National Team because they were bringing in younger players and didn't like it. Putting what gymnastics went through and comparing it to this is part of the problem. Gymnastics was sexual assault, in most cases against minors. What Coach Cromwell instance sounds like it is about is an adult pro player getting traded and feeling like she did it to get back at her. If I need to explain the differences in those 2 to you, then we won't be able to have a real discussion. Please do no sensationalize this to make a point. It isn't becoming of you. AS I SAID, there has been some actual abuse in some of these instances. These are not the ones I am speaking of.
devad, is there something in the NWSL policy that you think should not be there? It is a little hard to tell whether you agree with what is in the policy, or not. If you think some of what the policy defines as abuse should not be considered abuse, if you have the time and inclination, which part of it do you think should not be considered abuse? That might be something worthy of useful and interesting discussion.
At no point do I believe abuse should be accepted. It seems in womens soccer what is defined as abuse seems a little different and in some cases I would argue athletes are using this buzz word because they don’t like a coach. Look at the Cal investigation into McGuire because a few players were angry they were made to run, pass fitness standards, one person even sued for discrimination because she was cut. This is the world we are in right now where mostly female athletes are using the buzz words they know will work. Certainly there are examples of blatant abuse than have been widely pointed out by the media and those coaches need to see the correct repercussions but what we are seeing now are some young women who struggle with being treated as adults and held to an adult standard. The mens soccer world doesn’t seem to have been as affected by this, yet.
That is a really good question. I will have to read up on my NWSL policy. LOL. There are a lot of issues with the NSWL, abuse of power certainly being one of them. 1. When top players (USWNT players) are guaranteed salaries and coaches are pressured to play them regardless of form, attendance at training etc, is it counterintuitive to any kind of competitive environment that seems helpful to winning? 2. There are rumors that are saying an NWSL coach can't train starting groups separate from reserve groups because it causes mental health. 3. There is a pretty commonly beleived culture of the older veteran players banding together to protect each other vs the younger players. For the stories I've heard bullying might be too strong of a word but not by much. 4. Groups of players demanding a player not play or be traded if they won't wear the pride shirts due to religious reasons. Sustaining a women's league financially is very difficult and kudos to them for making it this long. There have been numerous battled fought and won. If the players want to be treated equally and equitably, are there to unintended side effects that maybe they don't want that come with being a pro (being traded when you don't want to be.) Orlando has had 4 different coaches, all have been fired. Just saying maybe it isn't entirely the coaches? Maybe it is. But the common denominators are the players and the admin. Maybe they should both take a long look in the mirror.