WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College has 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 female coaches on the rise, assisting with living expenses, professional development and mentorship. Wellesley is one of 10 universities and colleges to receive the grants, which will be designated for female coaching fellows across all three NCAA divisions in a wide variety of women's sports as well as strength and conditioning.
This is the second consecutive year that Wellesley was selected as a recipient. The grant will continue to support the Blue volleyball program, as Kaitlin Bradshaw '14 will continue in her second year as an Assistant Coach with the squad. Bradshaw, who previously served as a volunteer assistant for the Blue, was part of the coaching staff that helped guide the Blue to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship and a 23-6 overall record in 2019. Wellesley will be unable to compete during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Bradshaw will continue to work with Blue student-athletes at practice.
Inspired by legendary Stanford University women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, WSF designed the Fund to honor her history of trailblazing in the coaching space. WSF began awarding grants from the VanDerveer Fund in 2019 to address the lack of women in coaching positions at all levels of sport. Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, the percentage of women in head coaching roles for women's NCAA sports has steadily declined from 90% in 1970–71 to 41% in 2019. Black women are particularly underrepresented, comprising a mere 3% of all NCAA women's head coaching positions. This underrepresentation is systemic and cannot be attributed to just one sport or division. With the fellowships created through the VanDerveer Fund, WSF aims to create a pipeline that will give women the mentorship and experience needed to pursue a career in coaching.
To learn more about the VanDerveer Fund and meet the 2020 grant recipients, please visit: https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wsf_programs/tara-vanderveer-fund/
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. The Women's Sports Foundation has positively shaped 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.
