Exploring participants’ experiences of Play to Lead, a leadership development program for adolescent girls in sport

Introduction: Despite girls' and women's increased participation in sport, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in sport. One of the many strategies that has been proposed to address the dearth of women sport leaders is to begin leadership development in adolescence. The purpose of the present paper was to explore the experiences of participants in Play to Lead, a leadership development program for adolescent girls in sport. Methods: Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 18 girls and 20 coaches who participated in the program, as well as six Jumpstart staff. Data were analyzed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Based on the interviews and focus groups with the girls, their coaches, and staff, five themes were developed that illustrate how the participants experienced the program: (a) providing both structure and choice for the experiential learning challenges, (b) appreciating the investment in girls' leadership development, (c) increasing social connection throughout the program, (d) tailoring the program to each community, and (e) coaches supporting the girls' leadership development. The present results highlight the girls' generally positive experiences of the program, several suggestions for adjustments to the program based on the girls' and coaches' feedback, the benefit of opportunities to practice leadership, and the value of including coaches to support the learning environment. Conclusion: The present research highlights the relevance of adopting an experiential learning approach in a leadership development program for adolescent girls that provides structure, choice, and opportunities to practice leadership.