General | 11/16/2023 7:08:01 PM
The Empire 8 Conference and WeCOACH are pleased to announce a new conference-wide membership for the 2023-24 academic year. The membership is active immediately, allowing each of the league’s nine member institutions to enroll an unlimited number of women coaches to benefit from the year-round programs and resources offered by WeCOACH, including several new programs and initiatives that will be unveiled this season.
A one-of-a-kind nonprofit organization with the mission to recruit, advance and retain women coaches in all sports and levels, WeCOACH offers year-round professional growth and leadership programs to help navigate the challenges and obstacles women coaches face to stay in, feel supported, and advance in the coaching profession. Empire 8 women's coaches will have access to premier programs such as the WeCOACH-NCAA Women Coaches Academy & Academy 2.0, Regional Workshops, Mentor Program, monthly Video Chats, WeAMPLIFY (women of color initiative), new About Time video podcast, and more.
“We are proud to partner with WeCOACH to inspire, educate and empower Empire 8 female coaches and administrators,” said Empire 8 Executive Director Chuck Mitrano. “WeCOACH has endless resources to transform coaches into well-rounded educators and this collaboration is reflective of our investment in their personal and professional development. We are thankful to have the opportunity to align with an organization that shares our values and will help us achieve our goals of empowering our outstanding female leaders.”
The initial year of the Program served 199 institutions across 16 NCAA Division II conferences, and another 268 institutions representing 26 NCAA Division III conferences. In total, the Program impacted over 4,200 total participants in its first year, including 68 of 98 graduates in the 2023 WeCOACH-NCAA Women Coaches Academy, and 10 of 20 graduates in Academy 2.0. In addition to the conferences, any Division II or III women coaches with a current WeCOACH membership are eligible to participate.
“With the addition of the Empire 8, we now serve women coaches across 44 total Division II & III conferences, equating to over 4,500 participants impacted by our Development Program. We are grateful to Commissioner Mitrano and the Empire 8 leadership for investing in the development of their women coaches. Together, we will MOVE the NUMBERS to support & increase women in coaching,” said Vanessa Fuchs, WeCOACH CEO.
This year-round professional growth and leadership development program offers a number of different opportunities for participants across all sports to engage, highlighted by three 90-minute Development Sessions (fall, winter, & spring) focused on offering strategies and best practices to successfully navigate timely issues impacting the coaching profession.
To learn more about WeCOACH membership options, including group memberships, visit
https://wecoachsports.org/membership/membership-options/, or email
memberships@wecoachsports.org.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH is a one-of-a-kind 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches in all sports and levels through year-round professional growth & leadership development programs. Prior to Title IX, over 90% of women’s collegiate sports teams were coached by women. Today, over 50 years later, the data indicates that number has decreased to 46% in Division I, 41% across all three NCAA Divisions, with only 6.2% women head coaches of color (Division I). Only 5% women coach men's teams. At the youth level, the data is hard to estimate, approximately less than 20% of teams are coached by women. WeCOACH launched MOVE the NUMBERS in 2022 to help change the landscape for women coaches and the student-athletes they lead. If she can see her, she can be her. For more information visit
MOVE the NUMBERS.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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