Called Coach for All, the program is a first-of-its-kind training program for coaches to help young LGBTQ+ athletes feel safe and fully experience the benefits of sports. It is backed by coaching legends Trent Robinson and Louise Sauvage OAM.
“Allianz is committed to the power of sport to bring communities and society together, be it LGBTQ+ inclusion, gender equality, or accessibility,” said Brendan Dunne, Allianz Australia chief customer & operations officer and the executive sponsor of Allianz Australia's Pride Network. “We have a long history of supporting sport in Australia and globally, whether its side-by-side at Allianz Stadium or supporting athletes to compete at the Olympics and Paralympic games and beyond. So, we have a unique opportunity to create change for the better.
“By completing the Coach for All program, coaches will be better equipped to take real action and create a more welcoming environment for all athletes while helping everyone feel included in sport.”
Pride in Sport Project Officer Ben Cork said children often first experience homophobic behaviour and language in sports, leading to “a culture of ingrained, if unintentional, exclusion, which often forces young queer kids to hide their diversity or stop playing sport.”
“Out on the fields, the largest international study conducted into gay athletes and homophobia in sport supports this, with 73% of LGBTQ+ youth reporting having not felt safe playing team sport. This contributes to increased dropout rates and mental health issues,” Cork said. “Australia has also had some of the highest rates of LQBTQ+ exclusion in sport, with 80% of Australians surveyed having witnessed or experienced homophobia in a sporting environment.
“The Coach for All program provides practical tools and resources for coaches to challenge homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in sport while building more inclusive teams that celebrate diversity. We hope that this program will help shift the culture in sports coaching and create safer and more inclusive environments for all athletes.”
The program includes a four-part series featuring short video modules, Q&As, and downloadable PDF sources.
Coaching legends Trent Robinson and Louise Sauvage OAM are featured in each video module sharing skills to identify problematic behaviour and confront it in potential real-life scenarios.
Commenting on going through the training modules, Sydney Roosters head coach Robinson said: “I've learnt how to best tackle the tough conversations and how to confront harmful behaviour in the right way.”
“We do coaching courses on strategy, techniques, and tactics, but we also need to do better with inclusivity, understanding our role as coaches, and how we inform and support the kids, the adults, and ultimately the communities that we coach,” Robinson added. “I've seen players that weren't comfortable enough to come out with their sexuality until after they finished their career, and I see that as being a reflection on the environment that we create.
“I do think our sporting environments have improved over the last few years, and we are getting better at understanding how people can be themselves within these environments, but there's still a long way to go.”
Louise Sauvage OAM, Australian Paralympic wheelchair racer and coach committed to helping young people reach success in athletics and beyond, calls on coaches to complete the program to help ensure supportive environments for athletes.
“Coaches are seen as leaders, someone that our athletes can trust. We want to create an environment where people can be themselves and for everybody to feel equal. And by having those two things, we are setting them up for success to perform at their best without fear,” she said. “I look forward to not only learning more but [also] helping other coaches – all the way from grassroots to the highest levels of sport – learn how to make sport more inclusive.”
