"Critical to the future of the league": The Women’s High Performance Rugby Union Coach Review explained

While women’s rugby is experiencing a boom after a remarkable summer, the PWR and RFU are seeking to answer one of the game’s most pressing questions: why are there not more women in high performance coaching?

The Women’s High Performance Rugby Union Coach Review has been set up to find answers to that exact question to make sure the game continues to grow in the right direction, with the PWR and RFU committed to investing in supporting female coaches through a career in elite rugby. 

This review is led by Genevieve Shore, (PWR Executive Chair), Amy Walmsley, (PWR League Operations Manager), Nigel Redman, (RFU Director of Performance Team Development), John Lawn, (RFU Game Development Director), Emma Greggains (Occupational Psychologist) and Penny Carr (Operations and Project Manager). 

There are currently no female head coaches in the PWR, and it is a problem that extends far wider and deeper in the game, with women also under-represented in the role at the Rugby World Cup in the summer.  

“Being at the highest level of the women's game in England, the lens is always on the league,” explained Amy Walmsley, PWR League Operations Manager. 

“The lack of women working in the game and in the key role of head coach, has drawn recent focus.” 

“There are people looking at us and asking the question, why is that happening? And of course we're asking the question internally as well.” 

“We really want to get into understanding what's happening, what's causing this problem and how do we fix that?”

Consultant Operations and Project Manager Penny Carr added: “This is an important review to understand what is currently in place to support coaches to thrive and deliver.

“We want to understand what enablers and barriers exist to attract, select and retain female high-performance coaches.

“It is critical to the future of women in the game, that we review and understand what, if anything in the rugby system, needs to be addressed and improved upon to create quality high-performance coaches and opportunities for these women to thrive in the game.

“[We want] to explore the understanding of what it is to be a high-performance rugby union coach, which will then support key stakeholders to make informed decisions about future appointments.”

The review is being conducted using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, which include:

• A survey of female high-performance coaches holding the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award (formerly Level 3) and/or England Rugby Performance Coaching Award (formerly Level 4) or equivalent.
• 50 in-depth confidential qualitative interviews with a range of stakeholders.

The mammoth undertaking of the 50 interviews will be conducted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Emma Greggains who will speak to coaches, female athletes, internal rugby stakeholders (e.g. PWR and RFU), club decision-makers and external stakeholders.

Coaches will include female and male coaches in the women’s game and coaches in the men’s game.

“Everything that everybody says to me is confidential,” explained Greggains.

“All of the information is content analysed anonymously, which gives interviewees the assurance that they can feel free to come forward and tell me exactly what's going on.

“We can then look at what the data is telling us to guide practical interventions that will make a real difference.”

While the short-term aims of the review focus on creating a deep well of understanding to achieve full comprehension of the factors affecting female coaches in the game, the project also acknowledges the importance of ensuring the number of women in visible coaching roles is improved.  

“If we've got more women coaching at the top level, building quality experience and achievements in their journey, then their visibility will help generate the next generation(s) of coaches to come,” said Carr. 

“It offers a clearer and inclusive pathway for all levels of the game.”

The timing of the project could not have fallen at a better time, with the momentum behind the sport flying from the success of the Rugby World Cup.

“There is a spirit of, let's see what's possible, what needs to happen, what's working, what's not working, and what needs to change," commented Greggains.  

Ultimately, the extensive research will be used to create a coaching environment for high performance female coaches that is fit for purpose and ready to support them as they experience the ever-growing demands within the game. 

“We are a feminist organisation,” asserted Walmsley.  

“We want more female coaches in PWR and we want those coaches to be the best coaches in the game, but we also need to ensure that we provide the environment and the support for those female coaches to develop and to thrive in order to achieve that wherever they choose to work.” 

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