Girls in Baseball� Why This Matters� 

• Girls belong in baseball
• Retention matters as much as recruitment
• A positive early experience shapes lifelong confidence, leadership, and love of sport

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• Rachelle Henley
•  San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (32 yrs)
• Girls Sports (Bay Sox girls baseball co-founder) 
• Jr Giants Coach 20+ years
• Academy Softball 3 summers

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Understanding the Experience of Girls 

• Often the minority on the team 
• May feel pressured to "prove they belong" 
• Confidence can drop quickly without support 
• Fun+ Safety =staying in the game 

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Opportunity to Play (not just be on the roster) 

Skill Development              Team Connections

• Teach skills explicitly 
• Normalize mistakes as part of learning 
• Give Clear, specific feedback
• Celebrate progress loudly and publicly 
• Confidence grows faster than skill when coaching is intentional

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• Pair players intentionally in drills 
• Mix genders during warm up & activities
• Team cheers, nicknames & shout outs 
• Zero tolerance for teasing or exclusion 
• Belonging is built in small moments 

Creating a Welcoming Team Culture

• Set Expectations early, respect, encouragement, inclusion
• Language matters-avoid "boys" as default 
• Address bias immediately and calmly 
• Model empathy and fairness 
• Culture is what you allow, not just what you say 

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The Power of Positive Role Models 

Women Coaches Make  A Difference

• Builds trust and comfort for girls 
• Normalizes women in leadership roles 
• Strengthens team culture for everyone 
• Even assistant or guest roles matter 
• This benefits boys too leadership has no gender

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Supporting Girls Off the Field 

• Communicate with families intentionally 
• Reinforce that effort= perfection 
• Encourage Multi-sport participation 
• Watch for burnout or withdrawal
• Retention starts with feeling supported at home and on the team

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What Coaches Can Do Starting Tomorrow