Workforce

Welcoming and inclusive organisations – that are safe, free of harassment and discrimination, and with employees and volunteers who know about and support LGBTIQ+ people and communities – are an important facilitator of sport participation. ^{2, 6, 15, 18, 43, 77}

Alternatively, when organisations, staff, coaches, teachers, or volunteers have negative attitudes towards LGBTIQ+ people, lack empathy, confidence, and/or training in appropriate engagement and behaviour it is a significant barrier. ^{10, 15}

There is a clear need and desire for additional education and training for people who work in sport (both paid and volunteer). This would help to better meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ people, effectively implement inclusion or anti-harassment and discrimination policies, and build new cultural norms. ^{2, 4, 6, 10, 15, 18, 21, 25, 29, 43, 53, 67, 80, 89, 119}

74% of respondents in the 2023 Pride in Sport National Survey thought that training in LGBTIQ+ inclusion should be mandatory for anyone who managed or supervised other people. ¹⁵

Coaches

Research often highlights the significant influence that coaches have – both positive and negative – in fostering the behaviour and norms of their teams. ^{18, 25, 36, 68, 86, 88, 90, 112, 113, 114, 115}

A 2021 Australian study found that among LGBTIQ+ participants who experienced harassment or assault at sport in the previous 12 months, nearly 17% of perpetrators were coaches. ³⁵ And in the 2015 Out on the Fields research, 37% of young gay Australian athletes remained in the closet due to fear of discrimination from coaches and officials. ^{30, 68}

A 2023 Canadian resource highlights five guiding principles for coaches to develop inclusive sport environments: ⁸⁶

• Modelling respectful behaviours on and off the field.
• Ensuring the environment is safe (physically, emotionally, psychologically).
• Being an ally and leading by example.
• Being fair and applying the same standards to everyone.
• Respecting individual’s privacy through treating any knowledge or conversations about gender and sexuality as privileged.

Because of their potential influence, coaches should be a key focus of workforce inclusion and allyship training. ^{25, 86, 100, 115}

LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the workforce

It is also important to increase the number and visibility of LGBTIQ+ people who are actively working in the sector (both paid and volunteer). This signals that sport is a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTIQ+ participation, provides visible role models to encourage engagement in playing and non-playing roles, increases the available talent pool, and provides valuable diversity of thinking and experience to improve organisational outcomes. ^{2, 6, 18, 21, 77, 78, 80, 89, 90}

Some studies have shown that LGBTIQ+ employees in sport and active recreation organisations can be disadvantaged, especially in coaching and leadership roles, and often feel that they are not welcome or don’t belong. ^{15, 31, 64, 65, 77, 80, 116}

• The 2023 Pride in Sport National Survey found that LGBTQ respondents were less likely to feel engaged with or like they belonged in their organisation. They also felt less productive and were less likely to feel mentally well or that they could be themselves compared to those not of diverse gender or sexuality. ¹⁵
• A 2024 New Zealand survey of the play, active recreation and sport workforce found that around 8% of the sector’s workforce identified as part of the rainbow community. They were less likely to believe that they could speak up without being punished or humiliated; less likely to trust their organisation to handle integrity issues effectively; more likely to experience harassment, discrimination or bullying; and more likely to see barriers to career progression than other members of the workforce. ⁶⁵
• A 2020 UK study found that LGBTIQ+ individuals were less likely to work in the physical activity and sport workforce. ¹⁸
• A 2017 study of cricket in Australia found that respondents overall believed that LGBT people were more accepted as volunteers or players than in leadership or coaching roles. When looking at which roles LGBT participants were most accepted in, LGBT respondents thought they were most accepted as players, while non-LGBT respondents felt LGBT staff were more accepted. ⁵³

To increase workforce engagement, organisations need to collaborate with LGBTIQ+ individuals and communities and actively work to ensure open, two-way communication about what is needed and wanted. They should also ensure that management practices and policies are inclusive and support individuals to start and remain engaged. ^{29, 53, 116, 77, 78, 80}

Resources and reading