#WSW16 – The Coach’s View

As part of Women’s Sport Week we spoke to Ealing Judo Club’s Jo Crowley on how she got into judo, balancing her coaching with raising a family and why women and young girls should take up judo

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a full time Judo coach, teaching in schools as well as my club. I am the founder and head coach of Ealing Judo Club in West London. I am a mum to four small people, all of whom do Judo as well as other sports. I was a Primary School Teacher for eight years, which is where many of my early EJC students came from. I have also been a theatre stage manager. Now I am very proud to say that I am personal coach to Rio2016 Olympian Nekoda Davis too and am looking forward to the road to Tokyo2020.

How did you get involved in judo? 

My mum took me along to a number of different sporting and non-sporting activities when I was a child. I danced, played hockey, attended Brownies, played chess, all manner of things. Judo was one that I stuck with.

What made you stay involved in the sport?

Honestly? I don’t really know. Probably a mix of things: competitiveness, satisfaction from learning and being very strong and fit, belts as rewards, not wanting to be beaten by a male-dominated sport (stubbornness).

What is it about the sport that you enjoy the most?

Now I enjoy most the buzz I get from seeing my students make progress. It’s incredible to watch a shy child with a lack of co-ordination and confidence, turn into a mature, decision-making athlete who has a positive outlook and goals. I love it!

Were there any moments where you felt like giving the sport up?

Many! Politics can be a challenge sometimes and really I just want to coach and enjoy our sport. It can also be very challenging to balance finances when so much of my work is voluntary. Thinking long term, I have to plan for my future and that of my young family so sometimes this can make me question my participation.

In your experience how positive is judo for women and girls?

It is the ultimate confidence-building platform for all women and girls if the coach is willing to make the extra effort to recruit and retain. Being confident physically and being able to handle confrontational situations are really important for women and girls and I believe Judo is a great vehicle for developing those skills and attributes.

Why would you recommend judo to women and girls?

Fitness, fun, physical confidence, problem-solving, travel, access to competitive situations, personal satisfaction, options to access elite sport, so many reasons.

In your opinion how important is it for women to get involved in sports like judo which can be viewed as male dominated?

I think this is a very individual question. I am not involved because it is male-dominated, but I feel duty-bound to see it through and prove to myself that Judo is only male-dominated because we allow it to be.

We have some amazing female role models in the UK, such as Loretta Cusack-Doyle, Nicola Fairbrother and Lisa Allan and they have shown us all that it is possible to earn and maintain a great future within the sport and in the wider sporting community. If women want to be involved, they should get involved and then really work at it. Hard work is key, as it is with making progress in anything.

Judo may not be viewed as the most obvious choice for sport for women and girls. What would you say to that?

I would say that sport, like education, is valuable simply for being sport and no particular sport is an obvious choice for either gender or any age group or race etc. Do what you like the look of. There are opportunities, there is access, so don’t let preconceptions or trivial stereotyping get in the way of discovering something that may change your life in the amazing way all sport, particularly Judo, can.