Full Women's Sports Foundation Release
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College field hockey program announced on Friday that it 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. Haverford is one of just 10 universities and colleges to receive the grants, which will be designated for female coaching fellows in a wide variety of women's sports.
"This generous grant awarded to the field hockey program at Haverford College from the WSF VanDerveer Fund will enable us to educate women who desire a career in college coaching," said Head Coach Jackie Cox. "Those of us who have coached long enough know that it is more than X's and O's that we have to teach. The impact a coach has on their players will transfer to lifelong skills of being a confident and successful individual."
Haverford's coaching fellow is Assistant Coach Chardonnay Hope. Prior to joining Haverford, Hope served as an assistant coach at Widener for the 2020 season, where she helped guide the squad through a pandemic-altered 2020 season with an emphasis on goalkeeper coaching. She has also had stints as an assistant coach for Washington College during the 2019-20 campaign, and on the club circuit with the Delaware Sharks Field Hockey Club. Hope got her start in coaching on the staff at Mansfield University in 2018.
A two-time team captain for the Golden Bears, Hope had a standout career as a goalkeeper at Kutztown University, earning First Team All-PSAC and Second Team NFHCA All-American honors as a senior. She finished her career with 23 wins, 214 total saves and a 1.45 goals-against average, good for third all-time in school history.
Hope graduated from Kutztown with a degree in Criminal Justice in 2018, and earned a Masters in Management with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington (Del.) University in 2021. In addition to her coaching duties, the Delaware native has worked in Family Service Assistance with the State of Delaware Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.
Cox continued, "I look forward to the opportunity of advancing the careers of women who would like to maintain an impactful presence in the NCAA coaching profession. I am grateful that this fund exists and excited to see how it directly impacts our program and allows us to grow with Chardonnay as our newest coaching member."
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 NCAA women's sports has steadily declined from 90% in 1970–71 to 41% in 2020. Only 28% of all NCAA assistant coaches in 2020 were women and, only 6% of all NCAA assistant coaches were BIPOC women.
Aspiring women coaches are able to jumpstart their careers and contribute to growing representation of women in the coaching space through the opportunities they receive from the Tara VanDerveer Fund. Hired by educational institutions that receive the grant, fellows receive mentorship from established collegiate coaches, hands-on-training and professional development resources. Since its inception, the Fund has provided a total of $600,000 to 26 colleges and universities across the country, supporting 27 coaching fellows across 11 different sports.
"Having greater representation of women in leadership positions, especially coaching, plays such a pivotal role in inspiring the next generation," said Deborah Antoine, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation. "WSF is proud to continue honoring Tara VanDerveer's history-making legacy with this important Fund that helps encourage and support women pursuing a coaching career."
About The Women's Sports Foundation
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.