Consider the needs and safety of women matching players when choosing a location

Things like the commute to and from training can determine your team's ability to recruit and retain women matching players.As an organisation, there is a lot to consider when choosing the time and location of your training. Your decisions will influence who will and won't be able to attend training. In particular, the commute to and from training can determine your team's ability to recruit and retain women matching players. For example, if your training finishes late at night or is in a remote location, players may feel uncomfortable or unsafe going to and from training. These concerns can result in a lack of retention of new players as they choose to avoid the commute. For this reason, you need to pay particular consideration to how your decisions affect the women matching players on your team.
Ideally, your training should be not too late in the evening and in a location which is easy to access via public and private transport, as well as being well lit and populated. These factors should mitigate some of the safety concerns of your players and hopefully contribute to the retention of players.
If you cannot do the above, it may be good to organise a carpool to training or organise groups that can travel to and from training together. Another good tool is to have players who travel alone message a coach or teammate once they have made it home safely.
Even though some more central venues might be more expensive, it is often worth the investment to reduce the commute of all training participants. An easily reachable venue helps facilitate the recruitment and retention of new players.

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With the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.