Let respected figures introduce coaches
When a respected figure introduces or praises the competencies of a coach or athlete, they pass on the part of their authority to that person, directly influencing the perception the audience has of them.An introduction can have particular importance in situations involving introducing a woman-matching athlete to a group that may be hostile, misogynistic discriminatory biassed , or against them.
Whether holding demonstrations at a school or even playing games against unknown teams, proper introductions help to strengthen the position of women matching coaches/athletes during your interactions. When a person of leadership, e.g. the teacher or a respected figure of the group, introduces them to the audience, emphasising their competencies and successes, it encourages respect from the group towards the coach /athlete.
An excellent way to facilitate this process is to highlight similarities between the coach/athlete and the audience. For example - "just like you, X played in a club / started in college… and now they do this etc.”
In European ultimate, it is still uncommon to have women matching leaders in mixed or open teams, as a survey carried out by the EUF shows. Therefore, such introductions help even more to challenge the status quo.
Jennifer Kwan's experience as a new coach in the U20 Men's division (see Relevant Links below) demonstrates the power of introducing an unknown yet qualified coach.