Training, competitions, schoolwork, and expectations can make a young athlete’s schedule demanding. Alongside the physical effort, there may be worries about performance, selection, disappointing others, or keeping up with responsibilities outside sport.
Supporting young female athletes means paying attention to how they experience these demands. Within GENDERWISE’s broader focus on dual careers and gender equality, mental wellbeing is an important consideration in creating environments where young women can learn, compete, and plan their futures.
Looking Beyond Results
Results provide only a partial picture of an athlete’s experience. A strong performance does not necessarily mean that someone is managing every other aspect of life comfortably. Equally, a difficult competition should not define an athlete’s value or potential.
Conversations between athletes and the people supporting them need space for more than scores and rankings. Asking how someone is managing their commitments, whether expectations feel realistic, and what support would help can open a useful discussion.
The aim is to understand the person behind the performance and give her a meaningful voice in decisions that affect her.
When Expectations Add Up
Pressure can come from several directions: coaches, teammates, family, school, social media, and an athlete’s own ambitions. Each expectation may seem manageable on its own, while the combined demands can be harder to navigate.
Young women may also encounter comments about appearance or assumptions about their abilities and future roles in sport. Clubs should take these experiences seriously and establish clear expectations for respectful behaviour.
Regular communication can help identify competing demands. When exams, travel, and competitions overlap, coordinated planning between schools, families, and clubs can make the schedule more realistic.
Making It Easier to Ask for Support
Athletes should be able to raise concerns without feeling that doing so will be interpreted as a lack of commitment. Coaches and club leaders can help by making time for private conversations, listening carefully, and explaining what support is available.
A useful conversation does not require an immediate solution. It may begin with acknowledging what the athlete has shared and discussing an appropriate next step together.
Clubs should also make clear whom athletes can approach when they feel uncomfortable speaking to their coach. Accessible support arrangements are particularly important for younger participants, whose needs should be considered through appropriate safeguarding procedures.
Rest and Life Outside Sport
A workable sporting routine needs room for recovery, education, relationships, and interests beyond competition. These commitments are part of a young athlete’s life and deserve consideration when activities are planned.
Coaches can encourage honest discussion about demanding periods and review expectations with the athlete. Families can provide support while allowing young women to express their own priorities and ambitions.
Having interests outside sport also gives athletes opportunities to explore other aspects of their identity. This connects closely with the dual-career approach: supporting a future that includes sporting ambitions alongside education and professional development.
Understanding the Limits of Informal Support
Teammates, mentors, coaches, and family members can offer encouragement and practical assistance. Their support has an important place, but they should understand the limits of their role.
When an athlete needs professional mental health support, clubs should have a clear way to help her access qualified services. Educational activities and mentoring should be presented with clear boundaries, and personal disclosures should be handled with care and respect for privacy.
Organizations do not need to expect every coach to become a mental health specialist. They do need to help staff understand their responsibilities and know where to direct someone who needs further support.
Connecting Wellbeing with GENDERWISE
GENDERWISE develops educational resources, digital learning opportunities, and mentoring to support the dual careers of young female athletes aged 14 to 26. Skills such as communication and teamwork can help participants express their needs, support one another, and navigate responsibilities.
For BRAVO, this wider development includes recognising that young women’s experiences extend beyond the playing field. Fair opportunities, respectful communication, and realistic expectations all matter when creating a supportive sporting environment.
Making space for these conversations helps ensure that athletes’ voices remain part of how their sporting and educational journeys are shaped.
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
GENDERWISE is a 30-month initiative funded under the Erasmus+ Sport programme, bringing together seven partners from six European countries. The project promotes gender equality in sport and supports dual careers for young female athletes through educational resources, online learning, and mentoring.
Stay tuned as BRAVO continues sharing GENDERWISE activities and perspectives on supporting young women throughout their sporting and professional journeys.
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