Bronx, N.Y. - (September 12, 2023) – For the second consecutive year, Fordham University Cross Country/Track & Field announced today it received a Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching grant from the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF). Grants were awarded to institutions to support collegiate women coaches on the rise, assisting with living expenses, professional development and mentorship. Fordham is one of 10 universities and colleges to receive the grants, which are designated for women coaching fellows in a wide variety of women's sports.
"We are once again proud to be a member of this year's class of the Women's Sports Foundation VanDerveer Fund recipients," said
Brian Horowitz, Fordham cross country/track & field head coach. "We recognize the critical importance of closing the gender gap in the coaching ranks and seeing more women in these influential roles helps inspire our female student athletes. Our WSF VanDerveer Fellow,
Nickeela Austin, is already a vital piece to our Fordham cross country/track & field program and this grant will allow her to continue to grow both as a coach and as a professional.
Austin is in her third season as a member of the Fordham cross country/track & field coaching staff. Her specialties, the sprints and horizontal jumps, have come to the forefront over her first two seasons with the Rams. New school records have been set in the women's indoor 60 meters, 200 meters, 4x400 relay, and long jump, as well as the women's outdoor 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100 relay over that time.
Since Title IX's passage, the percentage of women in collegiate coaching roles has declined by more than
50%. During the
1970-71 academic year,
90% of women's college teams had women as head coaches. Fast forward to the
2021-2022 academic year, where women held only
41% of head coaching positions in women's NCAA sports. Furthermore, BIPOC women, who have historically been under-represented in the coaching ranks, held only
7% of head coaching roles in women's NCAA sports. In the same year, only
28% of all NCAA assistant coaches were women, with only
7% of all assistant coaches for men's and women's teams being BIPOC women.
According to the data, there is a clear lack of representation in coaching positions throughout the country; WSF is addressing this by growing the pipeline at the collegiate level by awarding grants from the VanDerveer Fund. Throughout the grant year, WSF implements a program for VanDerveer Fellows that opens doors to mentoring opportunities with coaches and leaders in the collegiate space, including a call with Tara VanDerveer and invitations to workshops addressing topics to help aspiring women coaches thrive in today's collegiate sports landscape.
The Fund has seen success and has made an impact during its short lifespan. Out of the first four classes,
25 VanDerveer Fellows continue to lead in coaching roles,
six have stepped into head coaching positions and
four have used their fellowship experience to secure jobs in a sports-related field.
"We at the Women's Sports Foundation know that building a strong pipeline for women in leadership is vital to ensure the sports ecosystem for girls and women continues to grow on and off the field of play," said WSF CEO Danette Leighton. "When girls and young women have powerful role models to look up to, such as coaches and beyond, it empowers them to keep playing and strive to reach their own full potential. That is why we are determined to continue our work to close the coaching gender gap with this important Fund that honors Tara VanDerveer's history-making legacy."
To learn more about the VanDerveer Fund and meet the 2023 grant recipients, please visit:
WSF Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching
About the Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation exists to enable girls and women to reach their potential in sport and life. We are an ally, an advocate and a catalyst. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, we strengthen and expand participation and leadership opportunities through research, advocacy, community programming and a wide variety of collaborative partnerships. From its inception to Title IX's 50th anniversary in 2022, WSF has invested over $100 million in these impact efforts, helping to shape the lives of millions of youth, high school and collegiate student-athletes, elite athletes and coaches. We're building a future where every girl and woman can #KeepPlaying and unlock the lifelong benefits of sport participation. All girls. All women. All sports
® To learn more about the Women's Sports Foundation, please visit
www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.
