Leadership goes far beyond results or strategies, and women coaches prove this perspective every day. They emphasize not just authority, but empathy, adaptability, and a commitment to mentoring athletes holistically. By redefining what it means to lead, they challenge gendered assumptions and show that effective guidance comes from integrity and understanding, not biological gender.
At the heart of their work is a focus on character and personal growth. While winning is paramount in competitive sports, the values instilled leave the most lasting mark on each athlete. Beyond nurturing athletes, these leaders also cultivate safe and supportive environments for the next generation of women in sports, inspiring others to pass on their knowledge, break barriers, and harvest opportunities where talent and dedication can grow.
Calling her own shots
In competitive sports, leadership is often associated with traditionally masculine qualities, such as toughness and tactical control. For many women coaches, taking on leadership roles in sport involves navigating those notions by advocating that good coaching is built on character and competence, rather than gender.
Susan Neri of the DLSU Green and Lady Woodpushers was in the same boat early in her coaching career. When she started coaching at a young age, she was the only female coach in UAAP chess. In 2017, she became the first woman to serve as the league’s head coach, a fact that made headlines but also underscored how few women held leadership positions. Despite the spectacle surrounding her “unconventional” role, she remained determined to advocate for her athletes and made sure people recognized that leadership transcends gender. “I may be a woman coach, but I know how to fight for my athletes,” she shared.
Likewise, Coach Pangs Silava of the DLSU Lady Booters encountered a gendered lens on her authority. As the youngest and the only woman on the coaching team, she was sometimes assumed to have different levels of authority and communication skills. Nonetheless, she did not let this hinder her progress, focusing instead on her professionalism and consistency. As time progressed, she earned the trust of her colleagues and players. For Silava, leadership ultimately comes down to respect and understanding rather than preconceived notions attached to gender.
Women coaches also have to work against a seemingly long-standing bias in tactical knowledge. The fallacy that men are the paramount strategic thinkers has been used to undermine the capabilities of women and the opportunities that come with them. “Tactical knowledge is built through experience, learning, and time in the game, not in gender,” Silava asserts. Thus, in places where women continue to demonstrate their expertise, their leadership slowly erodes the stereotypes that once defined who should lead.
True character
Across different teams and coaching styles, one message remains the same: success in sports goes beyond medals and titles. For both Neri and Silava, the true measure of an athlete is not just performance, but the character they develop along the way.
For Neri, her years with the Green and Lady Woodpushers have been guided by the Lasallian core values. She believes training should first shape athletes as individuals. Practices go beyond strategy and performance. They are also about discipline, reflection, and understanding what it means to represent something bigger than oneself. “I always tell them [that] it’s okay if you don’t become a champion,” she shared. “What matters is that you become a good person, someone others can look up to.”
Coach Silava shares a similar view that building a strong team starts with developing the person behind the player. While talent can bring short-term success, she believes lasting excellence comes from athletes who grow in humility, respect, and accountability. “Person before athlete,” the Lady Booters coach advocated. “Coaching isn’t just about winning games, it’s about shaping character.”
Safe spaces, stronger voices
Beyond strategy and competition, women coaches are also shaping sports by creating environments where athletes feel seen, supported, and empowered. For many of them, leadership means more than guiding a team through games—it also means ensuring that the spaces they occupy are safe and welcoming for those who follow.
Representation plays an important role in encouraging more women to step into the sporting world. Throughout their careers, Coach Neri and Silava have worked to show that leadership in sports is defined not by gender but by commitment, competence, and the ability to uplift others.
Coach Neri, in particular, has extended this advocacy beyond the university level. Through the women’s chess club she helped establish, former athletes now organize tournaments, offer free training sessions, and teach younger players in their communities. Similarly, Coach Silava shares the same hope of opening doors for the next generation. By demonstrating that women can lead with confidence, discipline, and expertise, she hopes young athletes and aspiring coaches will recognize that they, too, have a place in the game.
In many ways, the influence of women coaches extends far beyond the scoreboard. By mentoring athletes, breaking stereotypes, and creating spaces where others can thrive, coaches like Neri and Silava are cultivating a generation that looks beyond wins, but one that understands value, finds a voice, and carries the game forward.
This article was published in The LaSallian’s March 2026 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSMar2026.
