---
title: "Building a Culture That Keeps Girls in the Game: Why Care Belongs on the Sideline"
description: Discover why girls drop out of sports during adolescence and learn how coaches can build a caring, inclusive team culture to keep girls in the game.
image: https://www.coachingher.com/hubfs/oct_2026_blog.png
---

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# Building a Culture That Keeps Girls in the Game: Why Care Belongs on the Sideline

[By The Coaching HER® Team](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/author/by-the-coaching-her-team)  October 2026

![Building a Culture That Keeps Girls in the Game: Why Care Belongs on the Sideline](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/oct_2026_blog.png?width=1200&height=675&name=oct_2026_blog.png)

Recent data tells a striking story about the landscape of youth sports today: at ages 8–10, 80% of both girls and boys feel like they belong in sports. But as athletes navigate adolescence, that picture changes dramatically. By ages 14–18, **belonging drops to 66% for girls** compared to 73% for boys—meaning girls lose their sense of belonging in sports at more than twice the rate of boys. By high school, 1 in 3 girls doesn’t feel that sports are “for someone like her.”

Girls don't leave the field because they lose their love for sport; they leave when they stop feeling seen, valued, and connected.

Keeping girls in sports takes more than good playbooks and great drills, it takes a team culture built on real kindness and respect. Showing your athletes you genuinely care might be the **single most impactful thing you do as a coach**. It starts simple: get to know each girl as a person first. Learn about her life outside of practice, what drives her, and what she hopes to get out of the season. Use that insight to coach her individually, celebrate her progress along the way, and call out great teamwork when you see it. When you set clear expectations for kindness, live those values every day, create a team climate and encourage girls to be kind and caring, and get parents on the same page, your team becomes a community where girls feel like they truly belong, and where they want to stay.

## **Take the Next Step in Your Coaching Journey**

Ready to transform your team culture and build an environment where every girl thrives? Dive deeper into actionable strategies by taking the [**Coaching HER®** **Caring Climate Course**](https://www.coachingher.com/courses). Explore the module, **"Mutual Kindness and Respect are Fostered and Valued,"** to learn practical tools for bringing intentional care, trust, and connection to your sidelines this season.

### **Reference**

[Women’s Sports Foundation. (2026). *WSF sport report 2026: Tracking the full sports pipeline*.](https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wsf-sport-report/)

[For Leaders](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/tag/for-leaders), [For Coaches](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/tag/for-coaches), [For Champions](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/tag/for-champions)

![caring\_climate\_badge-1](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/caring_climate_badge-1.png?width=56&height=56&name=caring_climate_badge-1.png)

### **Module 2: Mutual Kindness and Respect is Fostered and Valued**

Prepares coaches to build a caring team climate where girls treat each other with kindness and respect—boosting enjoyment, connection, confidence, and overall well-being.

[Learn More](https://api.mobilecoach.org/scorm?token=7ff92388-b094-4877-b7e9-f7dffbb04f8e&asset=a0889e73-30f3-4de4-8707-6cba1716667f&locale=en_US&_=1789571937047)

More ways to get involved

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[Explore the Coaching HER® Store](https://www.mnalumnimarket.com/collections/coaching-her-collection)

### Invest in HER

Support Coaching HER® to help keep girls in sport. Make a gift today and be part of the movement.

[Invest in HER](https://makingagift.umn.edu/give/yourgift.html?&cart=20374)

## Read More

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog_belonging.png?width=352&name=blog_belonging.png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/belonging) [The Hidden Opponent: When Girls Don't Feel Like They Belong](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/belonging)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/leaders_august_2026-3.png?width=352&name=leaders_august_2026-3.png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/creating-caring-sport-environments-girls) [Beyond the Bench: The Leader's Role in Creating Caring Sport Environments for Girls](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/creating-caring-sport-environments-girls)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog_header%20(6).png?width=352&name=blog_header%20(6).png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/great-coaches-change-lives) [Great Coaches Don’t Just Teach the Game — They Change Lives](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/great-coaches-change-lives)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/leaders_guide_may2026-1.png?width=352&name=leaders_guide_may2026-1.png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/period-friendly-playbook) [The Period-Friendly Playbook: A Leader’s Guide to Removing the Barriers Girls Shouldn’t Have to Navigate](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/period-friendly-playbook)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog_header%20(11).png?width=352&name=blog_header%20(11).png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/listening-feedback-engagement) [Listening to Girls:Turning Feedback into Engagement](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/listening-feedback-engagement)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/champions_guide_feb2026%20(1).png?width=352&name=champions_guide_feb2026%20(1).png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/i9-gains-for-girls) [Empowering the Next Generation: i9 Sports' "Gains are for the Girls" Campaign](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/i9-gains-for-girls)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Caring%20Climate%20Ed%20Champions%20PDFs/blog_header%20(15).png?width=352&name=blog_header%20(15).png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/investing-in-coaching) [Coaching the Coaches: Investing in Those Who Invest in Girls](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/investing-in-coaching)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/champions_spotlight_newton-1.png?width=352&name=champions_spotlight_newton-1.png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/ncds-champion-spotlight) [Planning for HER: How One School Is Elevating the Athlete Experience](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/ncds-champion-spotlight)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/leaders_guide_july2026-1.png?width=352&name=leaders_guide_july2026-1.png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/uniforms-gear-swag-girls) [A Leader’s Guide to Uniforms, Gear & Swag That Actually Work for Girls](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/uniforms-gear-swag-girls)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog_header%20(13).png?width=352&name=blog_header%20(13).png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/overcoming-stereotypes-coaching) [Great Coaches See Potential, Not Stereotypes: Why Leaders Must Invest in Coach Education](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/overcoming-stereotypes-coaching)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog_header%20(21).png?width=352&name=blog_header%20(21).png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/what-your-daughter-remembers) [The Car Ride Home: What Your Daughter Actually Remembers About This Season](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/what-your-daughter-remembers)

[![](https://www.coachingher.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog_header%20(5).png?width=352&name=blog_header%20(5).png)](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/empowering-girls-engagement) [Empowering Girls’ Engagement: Doing What We Can, Where We Are](https://www.coachingher.com/the-coaching-her-journal/empowering-girls-engagement)

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