The daughter of immigrant parents, Aish Ravi has developed a passion for teaching, both in the classroom and on the sporting field. Now in partnership with fellow teacher Jules Hay, Ravi has launched the Women’s Coaching Association.
Women’s Coaching Association co-founder Aish Ravi leads a busy sporting life, coaching and playing women’s soccer and playing Australian Rules football. All photos by Robert Keeley
Aish Ravi has been driven to teach for a long time, which has led her on a circuitous route from classrooms on to sporting fields. Recently it has led her and her colleague Jules Hay to form the fledgling Women’s Coaching Association in Victoria. The basic idea, as in her teaching background, is to encourage young women to develop their talents and to back their fellow participants through what can be a challenging but rewarding experience. Ultimately that backing can and will include anything from material support and instruction through to underpinning morale. The association is already attracting a steady stream of interest from a wide range of sporting participants. It’s the start of a long road, but Ravi has already travelled quite a distance.
Of the WCA she says, “We want to be the peak body in the area to attract and retain, and develop and sustain careers.” She notes, “All sports separate into silos. But we all have the same problems – there’s a lack of women coaches in all sports. We need to tailor coach education. We’re also big on bringing men along on this journey. We want men to be more inclusive.” At the moment the association is self-funded. Says Ravi, “There are government grants available, but the process takes so long. We want to develop a membership and connections with sports associations and co-sponsorships. Funding has been really hard for us.” In their PhDs Ravi and her co-organiser Hay are looking separately at coach education, and pay equity for women. Despite the growth in women’s sport at the highest level (all the main football codes have embraced women’s development) there are still issues to work on, according to Ravi. Facilities often aren’t well kept or supplied and there can be issues with communication. “A lot of people think that if they get women in the door then that’s enough. Women often feel they’re not truly valued. Sometimes they’re using ‘hand-me-down’ equipment. There’s a long way we need to go yet. There are a lot of women like me, who have skills and passion. But a lot of strategies are not working.”
The daughter of Indian immigrant parents who had high academic expectations for her, Ravi spent some time in the US as a youngster with her family before they moved to Australia. Living in the southern Californian city of San Diego she developed a wide range of sporting interests and in Australia that continued when she went to school at Caulfield Grammar and joined in activities like soccer and tennis.
Ravi in the pre-game huddle before a recent local soccer match, where she was playing coach for the Bentleigh Cobras. Pic: Robert Keeley
After high school she continued her education at Monash University, doing a Commerce Degree, and then got a job as a market analyst with European car manufacturers Renault, BMW, and Fiat for around two years. Soon enough, she started losing interest in that direction. She admits to becoming easily bored and after a period of time she felt this type of work was largely “a desk job” which involved working as a glorified assistant, mainly writing reports and producing Powerpoint presentations. She says she’s always been more interested in working directly with people, so she decided to pursue a career in teaching. She ended up back at Monash undertaking a Masters of Teaching, and doing school placements, including at Prato in Florence, Italy. “I enjoyed it,” she says.
Later she was offered a position as Dandenong High School in southeast Melbourne, a place she says was highly multicultural, and she loved the work. “I felt I was making a difference.” She says there were a lot of refugees at the school and the job was about “learning and being safe”. She taught economics and business management, but she also worked on the school’s sports.
Two local teams and a pitch – the essence of local sport! Pic: Robert Keeley
She was then offered a job at the prestigious Melbourne private school Wesley College, where she became involved in coaching sport. As she became more involved she wanted to become better qualified to coach at a higher level. The school backed her financially to secure a ‘C’ licence and she coached the women’s first-grade soccer team for two years. She then moved to Carey Grammar school, a part of Victoria’s Associated Public Schools sports program. “I was very fortunate. I loved it,” says Ravi. After that she started a PhD.
She says there are similarities in coaching and teaching. So she raises the question, “How come I’m questioned about my knowledge and qualifications in coaching?”
She now expresses the view that she “didn’t know what I was getting into with the PhD.”
But she felt there were people in teaching who were just going through the motions. “It was hard to see teaching changing when I actually did it. Teaching is undervalued in society.” She says there is more kudos available through her work now with the Women’s Coaching Association. She met Jules Hay through a connection at Monash Uni. Hays is also widely travelled and a great sports enthusiast, as well as a coach. At the start of 2020 they launched ‘Lead between the Lines’, an organisation to encourage diversity and gender equity across all types of sporting clubs and organisations.
Ravi’s team (in black and yellow) was up against it during this game and eventually went down to a skilled opposition team. But Ravi remained cool and positive with her players throughout. Pic: Robert Keeley
Ravi says she has an “entrepreneurial background”. She started the Bayside Futsal Women’s free football competition in 2019, which now has had over 400 women playing in it.
The WCA began with a working party group of 29 people, but it has been streamlined into a volunteer board of just nine people. Says Ravi, “People now think we’re a peak body, but it’s a hobby for us at this stage.”
Both Ravi and Hays teach part time and Ravi is now playing Australian Rules football with Melbourne Cricket Club FC and coaching soccer with Bentleigh Cobras (in 2019 they won their competition championship). She’s also developing an interest in Ironman events and bike riding. She calls her coaching style “very wholistic” and invests in the players, with the objective of getting them to invest in the team. She believes it’s an approach which is permeating all levels of coaching, from the top down, but it will take time. “A lot of players have come from an authoritarian dictatorship style,” she says. “But the authoritarian style is dying out. A lot of parents and players are aware it’s not healthy. But you can’t have ‘one size fits all’. That’s inclusion. You can’t treat everyone the same.”
Says Ravi about women in coaching, “There’s not a lot of leaders in the area. It’s problematic. No one is really speaking the same language.” She says, “Sport for women should be as much about health and having fun with your friends. At the moment, a lot of the time, the question is ‘Have you won?’.” For Ravi there’s a long way to go for women in sport and coaching, but at least there’s a been a promising start.
For more sports and general images see other sections in this website, along with a collection of blog columns.
In the rooms at half time Ravi emphasises team structures and patterns, then consults with individual players. Though struggling and behind, the atmosphere remains upbeat and positive. Pic: Robert Keeley.
Ravi consults with individual players are a more general discussion with the team. Her teaching background is a good discipline for team sport coaching. Pic: Robert Keeley.
Ravi in action on the field in her dual role with Bentleigh Cobras. On this occasion it was a tough day at the office! Pic: Robert Keeley.
Ravi in action late in the match. She was under constant pressure as the opposition pumped the ball into their scoring area throughout the game. Pic: Robert Keeley.
Ravi displays a great kicking technique (no doubt employed when she plays her other sport of Australian Rules football). Pic: Robert Keeley.
A successful save during a very busy afternoon for the playing coach! Pic: Robert Keeley.
WCA co-founder Aish Ravi. Pic: Robert Keeley.