Breaking Barriers: Women in Volleyball Coaching and Officiating on International Women’s Day

Today (March 8th), we celebrate International Women’s Day. This is a day to celebrate women and their achievements across the world and to raise awareness about issues relating to women’s rights and equality.

Volleyball is one of the few sports where female athletes, on the whole, outnumber their male counterparts. However, when it comes to coaching and officiating, those numbers are still far from equal, with men still representing the majority in these positions of authority.

Two young women–Anna Tereschenko and Taya Nordee, who both coach and officiate in the Volleyball BC (VBC) system–are doing their best to change this norm.

Tereshchenko has been involved in volleyball nearly her whole life, first as an athlete in VBC’s club system, then later as a coach and referee after her playing days ended. It is in the sphere of officiating where she has found the most success, building a reputation as one of the top young referees in the province, which has led to her receiving important assignments at both provincial and national levels.

But despite her proven skills as a referee, Tereshchenko still faces instances of discrimination due to her gender, as she explains:

“While walking into a match, I often get a different response from coaches than a male referee [would],” said Teseshchenko. “You kind-of already come in with a stigma, especially with male coaches…For example, if I make the same call a man does, I can get a totally different reaction, and not always in a positive way…It always feels like I have to earn a coach’s respect a little bit more, players as well.”

This is a challenge that Taya Nordee has encountered in the coaching world as well, despite her own several years of experience behind the bench with different age groups and skill levels with Kamloops Volleyball Association:

“I’ve been looked down upon by a number of male refs and coaches,” said Nordee. “Specifically, being asked if I needed help with anything, running me through how the game works even when I know I’ve been coaching longer than, let’s say, the middle-aged man on the other team. That’s happened quite a few times for me.”

Nordee added these preconceptions based on gender have also presented difficulties in her interactions with the athletes she coaches:

“Coaching boys volleyball, sometimes getting respect from the players is a bit more difficult than if I bring in a male coach,” said Nordee. “They [the male coach] get it right away when I typically have to work for it more, which I don’t really have a problem with, because I think respect is earned.”

Both Nordee and Tereshchenko have identified instances like the ones mentioned above as barriers that continue to drive women away from pursuing a career in coaching or officiating.

However, both women also believe that the adversity they have faced represents a crucial part of their development as referees and coaches, inspiring them to continue to hone their skills both on and off the court and to erase the stigma surrounding females in positions of authority:

“Stand tall,” said Tereshenko. “Don’t let yourself be talked down to… Don’t let one or two bad experiences ruin it for you. Because at the end of the day that’s sport–some days you win, some days you lose, and unfortunately you’re probably going to lose more than you win, but you have to realize that the end goal is to have that one good game, or that one experience that will be what keeps you in the sport, whether that be in coaching, playing or refereeing.”

“Keep your head high,” said Nordee. “I’ve definitely lost some confidence along the way, questioning if I know what I’m doing or not. But if you believe you can coach then I think you might as well go for it and don’t let anyone deter you from that…and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I always ask for help.”

The drive to get more women to pursue refereeing and coaching remains an important goal for Volleyball BC as an organization. To help achieve this, we have developed Female Mentorship Programs, which connect younger women coaches and officials with their more-experienced counterparts in the sport.

Nordee, who has taken part in the coaching mentorship program for the past two years, believes these groups are essential in ensuring more women stay involved in the sport:

“You just get to meet all these women in coaching,” said Nordee. “And even if they’re not coaching in the same age group as you, I’ll probably see them in the gyms along the way, and it’s a friendly face to see and you know you’re in it together… It’s just a really good community to have.”

Tereshchenko echoed this sentiment:

“Once someone becomes a referee, we find it hard to keep them as a referee, especially young females,” said Tereshchenko. “Because they’ll have one bad experience and realize that maybe it’s not worth it…So I think it’s important to bridge the gap between that and finding space for women to have these conversations and shared experiences.

It’s clear volleyball and society in general still has a long way to go when it comes to issues of gender equality and equity. That is why our organization believes in the importance of celebrating initiatives like International Women’s Day, which give us a platform to address some of these ongoing challenges and how we can work towards solutions.

In this fashion, Tereschenko and Nordee shared what International Women’s day means to them:

“Connecting with other women and building the community up further,” said Nordee. “It’s a great community to be in. I have so many female role models and friends. It’s a good life, it’s a good place to be in.”

“To me, International Women’s Day is a celebration of women supporting each other,” said Tereshchenko. “Specifically, in sport, its support in all aspects. So whether that be a referee supporting a player, or coaches and referees working together to make the game better. It’s overall to support women and being able to say it out loud and celebrate it, come together and maybe realize we have more support than it sometimes seems.”

Happy International Women’s Day to all!