Volleyball BC is excited to announce the winner of the 2025 Female Leadership in Coaching (FLIC) Award – Mackenzie Thibault!
Thibault has personified the values of the FLIC Award through the demonstration of exceptional levels of dedication, commitment and leadership in her work coaching with Prince George Youth Volleyball Club and the Team BC Zone and IGNITE Programs.
The FLIC Award was established with the aim to aid our organization in achieving its long-term goal of improving the female experience and increasing female participation overall in coaching, as outlined in Volleyball BC’s (VBC) new Strategic Plan for 2025-2028. It provides the winner with a $1000 bursary to be used towards training, mentorship, and professional development.
While women and girls continue to make up the majority of athletes within the sport, female participation in coaching remains disproportionate to their male counterparts. Entrenched societal stigmas against women in leadership and authoritative positions remain a major barrier to systemic change, something Thibault has experienced first-hand in her coaching career:
“As a younger female in coaching, it is common for me to be assumed to be the assistant coach,” said Thibault. “Often my male assistant coaches have been approached with questions from referees, or for a handshake from the coach of the opposing team, even when it seemed clear to all of us that I was the head coach… It is something that I found confusing as a newer coach…Thankfully, this happens less and less often with the emergence of more female head coaches.”
Thibault added that witnessing the success of other women in coaching was a key source of inspiration in her decision to follow the same path:
“I think it is really important for women to be involved in coaching because I never had a female coach after my 15U years [as a player],” said Thibault. “The few times I did get to work with female coaches at camps or Team BC evaluation events, I remember loving the experience. It was inspiring to see women who had competed at the highest level coming back and now coaching the next generation and imparting their wisdom to younger players. It gave me someone to look up to and made me set my goals higher than I otherwise had because I knew it was possible to get there.”
In addition to growing female participation in coaching, Thibault remains committed to growing volleyball in the province’s North region, which often finds itself eclipsed by BC’s more populous regions:
“We have such a passionate community in Northern BC and volleyball is very popular here,” says Thibault. “My hope is to continue to inspire athletes and develop their passion for the sport in a fun, competitive, and sportsmanlike environment. With the funds [from the FLIC AWARD], I will be selecting coach conferences and workshops that specifically prioritize those goals.”
Finally, Thibault shared what winning the 2025 FLIC Award means to her:
“Humbled and proud are the first two feelings for me,” said Thibault. “To be the candidate for this award means that Volleyball BC feels that I am a coach with potential for the future. That is a huge compliment and I intend to do VBC right by their decision. I am so excited for additional funds to invest in myself as a coach.”
More information about the FLIC Award and other scholarships and bursaries offered by Volleyball BC can be found on our website at the following link.