Volunteer Diving Coach at Bryant University: The Unpaid Seat and Questions About the Future of Women's Sports

The empty stands, but the voices from the locker room never stop echoing. I went to Russia to find answers, and only found more questions. Today, a small job posting from Bryant University reminds me of those questions. Bryant University, a private institution in Smithfield, Rhode Island, is seeking a Volunteer Assistant Diving Coach for its swimming & diving program. The position is unpaid. No stipend. No advancement pathway announced. Just a job description: assist the head coach in the day-to-day training and development of diving student-athletes, support recruiting efforts, and follow all university, conference, and NCAA rules. Where are the women? That question has haunted me since the 2026 World Cup, when I stood in Moscow and realized no female referee was named. Now, reading this job description, I wonder again: where is a women's sports program run on volunteer labor heading? Bryant University competes in the America East Conference, a mid-major conference within the NCAA Division I system. This is not a Power Five school with massive budgets. This is a mid-major program where diving — a small component of the combined swimming & diving structure — often sits low on the budget priority list. This volunteer position reflects a structural reality: mid-major athletic programs in the US increasingly rely on unpaid staff to supplement a small paid coaching core. Under NCAA rules, each program is limited in the number of countable coaches it may employ. Volunteer coaches typically do not count against this limit — a legal way to add staff without exceeding caps or salary budgets. But what is the cost of this legality? In 27 years of observing women's sports, I've learned that volunteer roles are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they open doors for young coaches seeking NCAA experience. On the other, they mask an uncomfortable truth: the program lacks the budget to pay for the work that actually needs doing. This role requires the candidate to support the head coach in planning and conducting practices, as well as support recruiting efforts. Recruiting in the NCAA is a high-liability area. NCAA Bylaw 13 details contact periods, evaluation periods, and permissible communications with prospects. An untrained volunteer coach could inadvertently violate these rules, triggering institutional penalties for the entire program. I've seen similar things in Vietnam. When I started my channel "Phái Đẹp Sân Cỏ" in Nha Trang in 2026, I was also a volunteer in my own way. I wasn't paid. I stayed up until 2 AM answering comments, noting mispronounced player names, and building a community of 1,200 members in just three months. But I had an advantage this Bryant position doesn't promise: complete autonomy. A volunteer coach at Bryant won't have that autonomy. They'll work under the head coach, with no independent authority, and no guarantee about the future. The job description doesn't mention required certifications — no USA Diving certification, no CPR, no safety training for spotting athletes. This is a concerning gap. I was wrong to think things would change quickly. In 2026, I predicted it would take four more years for a female referee at the World Cup. When Stéphanie Frappart officiated in Qatar 2026, that analysis was shared thousands of times — but that doesn't mean I was right about the pace of change. I was right about the direction, but wrong about the timing. The volunteer diving coach position at Bryant could be a stepping stone for a passionate young coach. But it could also be a sign that the program is struggling with resources. When I watch Vietnam's women's national team matches, I see girls training on imperfect pitches, with limited equipment, yet competing with all their hearts. They don't need a volunteer position to prove their worth. The real question isn't "who will take this position," but "why does this position exist." If a women's sports program needs a coach, why aren't they paying that person? If they lack the budget, why aren't they restructuring priorities? Where are the women in this budget picture? I don't have answers. But I know these questions need to be asked. Because behind the locker room door, there are stories never told — and one of them is the story of coaches working without pay to keep the flame of women's sports burning. When there are no spectators, we truly listen to athletes. And when there's no salary, we truly understand the value of a coach.