With More Women's Sports Leagues Comes More Women's Coaches

Women’s sports have surged over the last decade, but coaching roles for women haven’t kept pace, according to stories from current and former athletes and coaches. Marta Kostyuk recalled realizing her player-coach relationship was on track after training in Monte Carlo in 2023 with former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Yet even amid growing visibility in leagues and prime-time coverage of N.C.A.A. events, the supply of women head coaches remains limited. In hockey, about two years after the league started, only five of 12 head coaches are women for the 2026–27 season, including Canadian Carla MacLeod, coach of the Ottawa Charge. Lisa Bluder, who retired in 2024, argued women still face unequal opportunities and may be pushed to hire more male assistants.