Coaching is dominated by men. From youth to professional-level sports, men hold the majority of head coaching positions globally. Up until recently, there had never been an NCAA Men’s soccer game in which two women coached against each other. That changed on October 28, 2022, when NYU’s Kim Wyant coached against the newly appointed head coach of the University of Chicago Men’s Soccer team, Julianne Stitch.
We spoke with both coaches about the gender gap in coaching, the pressure of being a trailblazer in sports, and what the future holds.
The Coaching Industry
Kim Wyant, a former member of the United States Women’s National Team, has been a coach for most of her professional career. When she was asked to step in as the NYU Men’s soccer head coach, she was overqualified and very prepared. She was the very first woman to be the head coach of a men’s NCAA soccer team.
“I hope that it just becomes the norm, and it is not ‘big news’ so women can step into these roles and continue to inspire their athletes.”
Following in Kim’s footsteps, former professional soccer player Julianne Stitch joined UChicago men’s soccer as the head coach. Both of these women made history as two of the very first women to coach men’s sports at the collegiate level. Stitch says, “I just hope that it just becomes the norm, and it is not ‘big news’ so women can step in these roles and continue to inspire their athletes.”
The Future of Women in Coaching
The future of coaching has already begun to reveal itself. “I am definitely optimistic and I see that society is changing. I hope that my story and what Julianne is doing is helping to open minds,” Wyant said. To continue this wave, she believes that it must start at a grassroots level, recruiting moms and women to coach youth sports. “If we start exposing kids at a young age to women in coaching positions, by college it will be completely normal to them.”
Stitch agrees. “Growing up wanting to be a professional soccer player, most of my role models were men. That was the soccer that was put on TV and that was the exposure that I had,” she said. Stitch now hopes to pave the way for young girls who can see women in leadership roles in sports.
Being a Trailblazer
As one of the first to do it, Wyant explains that she “tried to put the thought of being a woman taking over a mens’ team at the back of my mind,” and Stitch says the same. Although these two women have served as trailblazers in their field, their hope is that paving this path will allow for young girls to follow in their footsteps.
