Empowering Women Coaches - Highlights from the WTA Coach Inclusion Program
- Sarah McQuade
- Dec 5, 2024
- 2 min read
e.t.c has proudly supported the delivery of various women’s coaching and leadership development programs this year, both in the USA and internationally. Among these impactful initiatives are the Women into Sport High Performance Pathway (WISH), the Commonwealth Women's Leadership Program, and the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association ASPIRE Program.
This week marked the culmination of a humbling year for e.t.c, celebrating its work with game-changing women, by working with the AMAZING coaches of the WTA Coach Inclusion Program–North America. Now in its third year, this transformative program, run in partnership with the USTA, Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), and the Gooding Todero Academy, will expand in 2025 to include the Great Britain and APAC Region Coach Inclusion Programs.
A Comprehensive Yearlong Program
The WTA Coach Inclusion Program is designed to break down barriers and create opportunities for women aspiring to coach at the professional level. Its overarching goal is to increase the number of women coaches on the Hologic WTA Tour by demonstrating that professional coaching is an achievable and rewarding career path.
Starting in December 2024, the WTA Coach Inclusion Program features a three-phase structure:
Phase One (December): A three-day offseason training session led by WTA-registered coaches and world-class coach-educators.
Phase Two (January – August): Five virtual coaching certification sessions provided by the PTR.
Phase Three (April, July): Shadowing of WTA coaches and players at tournaments in Charleston and Montreal, gaining valuable exposure to the WTA environment.
A Focus on Communication and Learning
Linda Low and Sarah McQuade were thrilled to contribute to this women into high-performance coaching initiative by delivering a day-long workshop during the December residential phase. The workshop explored the art of communication on and off the court, with the following objectives:
Remind coaches of why women coaches matter.
Explore the concept of learning to make learning ‘sticky’ with elite athletes.
Develop key communication skills—questioning and listening—to support and accelerate learning on the court.
Evaluate who's who in their coaching network.
Through our dynamic, engaging, and thought-provoking approach, Linda Low and I gently challenged participants to think differently about the why, what, and how of questioning and its vital role in fostering learning.
Perhaps the most valuable learning for the women came with the opportunity to act as a coach for Shelby Rogers (a former professional tennis player with a career-high ranking of 30 in singles) and evaluate how effectively they had helped her within the session.
Gratitude and Future Prospects
A heartfelt thank you to Mike Anders of the WTA and Milena Vidos of the PTR for the opportunity to contribute to this game-changing program for women tennis coaches.
We look forward to seeing the impact of these initiatives as we continue to champion women in coaching.
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