In a coach’s game plan, it’s all about the X’s and O’s.

But in planning for a coach, it’s sometimes about the X and Y.

Standing in the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention, Jason Neidell, Western’s women’s head soccer coach, said he noticed something about the crowd.

“I would say of the 9,000 to 10,000 coaches there, most, maybe 90 percent, were men,” Neidell said.

In the Sun Belt Conference, there are 92 female coaches, of which 36 are head coaches. These women make up about 21 percent of all coaches in the conference.

There are 50 total coaching positions at Western. Ten are female coaches, including two head coaches.

There are several reasons why there are more men coaching women’s sports.

Neidell said he started coaching women’s soccer because he found working with female athletes easier.

“In my experiences, males tend to be more ego driven, while women tend to be more team oriented,” he said.

According to Peter Roby, director of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University, one of the main reasons would be the increasing amount of money dedicated to women’s sports.

Since Title IX increased the funding of women’s sports, raised salaries of coaches and improved the facilities, more men wanting to coach are drawn to women’s sports, he said.

“In some ways it’s ironic. Prior to Title IX, all women’s sports were coached by women,” Roby said. “Now, that’s not the case at all.”

Neidell agreed, and said the coaching opportunities for women’s soccer are far greater than that of men’s soccer. There are 301 Division I women’s soccer teams compared to 196 men’s teams.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, added to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, requires that schools, which receive federal funding, provide equal opportunities for members of both sexes, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Web site.

There are three basic aspects of Title IX as applied to athletics.

Participation under Title IX is not a quota system. Schools have to provide an equal opportunity for females, and scholarships must be substantially proportionate to the ratio of female and male athletes.

There must also be equality in additional athletic program components such as coaching and competitive facilities.

Roby added that another reason for fewer female coaches is a fear or stereotype of homosexuality in female coaches.

“Really, it is something that is never said or anyone would admit to, but administrators, parents and sometimes players are fearful to be around a lesbian coach,” he said. “And it’s really a shame considering the time period we are in. You would think that gender, race and sexual orientation wouldn’t be a factor in the hiring process.”

Jennifer Bruening, an assistant professor

of sport management at the University of Connecticut, personally experienced being judged based on her sexuality.

“When I was a coach, parents would always try to check my hand for a ring or make comments about not wanting to play for a lesbian coach,” Bruening said.

Bruening’s study, Strategies for Change in the Sport Participation Patterns of African-American Females, explained that if more women are to become head coaches, it is going to have to come from the top.

“It’s going to have to be men and administrators who promote the idea of diversity,” Bruening said. “And changes aren’t going to fully be realistic until they see the value of a more diverse work force.”

Bruening cited another study she is helping to get published, which found that in women’s basketball about 46 percent of assistant coaches are black females, but less than 10 percent are head coaches.

Nikki McCray, Western assistant women’s basketball coach, said she didn’t think her gender or race would keep her from becoming a head coach someday.

“For me, I think I am qualified enough with X’s and O’s, but it is things like clock management and team management that I’m not that familiar with,” said McCray, who is black. “And I have a great mentor to show me those things.”

Reach Andrew McNamara at sports@wkuherald.com.