Abstract

Coaching plays a vital role in the development of student-athletes physically and psychologically. It is a multi-task responsibility that helps coaches evolve to become more pedagogical, sensitive, and technical in the needs of the program and of the student-athletes. Coaches fulfill the roles of a teacher, parent, mentor, competitor, friend, and guidance counselor. The present study described the lived experiences of Filipino school coaches in coaching student-athletes. The study used a qualitative descriptive approach for data collection and analysis. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview questionnaire. During the interview, eight (8) participants were engaged in semi-structured interviews in which they described their personal experiences in sports coaching. Three (3) recurring themes were seen across responses: (1) Gender and Coaching: Holistic Approach, (2) Gender and Relationship: Finding Self-worth, and (3) Gender and Discrimination: Foul Ball. Each main theme is supported by sub-themes that  further explained the perspective and role of the sport’s coach. . The study concluded that gender-sensitive coaching standards must contain unique features that would help coaches become reliable and respectful in the field of sports. This study can  be used by future researchers in conducting research that focus on gender equality in sports.

Keywords: gender, sports, coaching, Filipino, experiences