CHICAGO, Ill. (September 18, 2025) -
Chicago State University announced today it received a Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching grant from the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF®). Grants were awarded to institutions to support collegiate women coaches on the rise, assisting with living expenses, professional development and mentorship. Chicago State is one of 11 universities and colleges to receive the grants, which are designated for women coaching fellows in a wide variety of women's sports.
"We are proud to be a member of this year's class of the Women's Sports Foundation VanDerveer Fund recipients," said Corryne Irvin, Head Women's Basketball Coach at Chicago State University. "We recognize the critical importance of closing the gender gap in the coaching ranks, and seeing more women in these influential roles helps inspire our women student athletes. This grant will allow us to help our program with
Chicago State welcomes Amaria Fields as the WSF VanDerveer Fellow who will help coach the women's basketball team. She will be responsible for film breakdown, software programming, social media development, player development, and travel development. Amaria played collegiate basketball at Detroit Mercy and Boston College, gaining valuable experience competing at the Division I level. She graduated from McKinney North High School holding a myriad of records, including all time leading scorer and three pointers made. She has coached with the Boston Celtics, SkyHawks, and the Dallas Mavericks youth camps, where she taught basketball fundamentals and game concepts. She created detailed camp itineraries focused on skill development, teamwork, and in-game strategies, while providing constructive, individualized feedback to help each player grow.
Since Title IX's passage, the representation of women in collegiate coaching roles has drastically declined. During the
1970-71 academic year, women served as head coaches for
90% of women's college teams. Fast forward to the
2023-2024 academic year, women held only
42% of head coaching positions in women's NCAA sports. The disparity is even more pronounced among BIPOC women, who made up only
7% of head coaches in women's NCAA sports. In the same year, only
29% of all NCAA assistant coaches were women, with only
8% of all assistant coaches for men's and women's teams being BIPOC women.
Furthermore, WSF's research report, "
Play to Lead: The Generational Impact of Sports on Women's Leadership," revealed that there are still barriers to sport participation, including a lack of women role models and access to quality coaches. The data shows the lack of representation in coaching positions throughout the country is evident, and WSF is taking steps to address it by expanding the pipeline for aspiring women coaches at the collegiate level through the Tara VanDerveer Fund. Throughout the grant year, VanDerveer Fellows receive mentorship opportunities with experienced coaches and leaders in the collegiate sport space, including a conversation with Tara VanDerveer herself. Fellows are also invited to workshops focused on key topics to help women coaches succeed in today's sports environment.
The Fund has seen success and has made an impact during its short lifespan. Out of the first five classes,
39 WSF VanDerveer Fellows continue to lead in coaching roles,
six have stepped into head coaching positions and
four have used their fellowship experience to secure jobs in a sports-related field.
"For more than 50 years, the Women's Sports Foundation has championed opportunities for women to lead – on the sidelines and beyond," said WSF CEO Danette Leighton. "Expanding the presence of women in coaching is essential not only to equality in sport, but to inspiring the next generation. When young women see a WSF VanDerveer Fellow coaching, they believe they can lead too – and that is the legacy we are committed to building and sustaining with this Fund."
To learn more about the VanDerveer Fund and meet the 2025 grant recipients, please visit:
WSF Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University sponsors 16 Division I intercollegiate athletic teams and competes in the Northeast Conference. CSU's athletic program includes over 200 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, triathlon and volleyball.
About the Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation
® (WSF
®) exists to enable girls and women to reach their potential in sport and life. We are an ally, an advocate, and a catalyst for tomorrow's leaders. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, we are one of the first organizations to recognize the powerful connection between sport access, equity, and society. For over 50 years, WSF has been changing the game through its research, advocacy, and community programming, investing over $115 million to help girls and women play, compete, and lead – in sports and beyond – without barriers. A leader and champion of the entire women's sports ecosystem, WSF amplifies the vital societal and cultural impact that is made when girls and women play sports. When girls play, they lead, and we all win! To learn more about the Women's Sports Foundation, please visit
www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.
Media Contact:
Keith Keahna
Chicago State University
(773) 995-2324
kkeahna@csu.edu
Kandice Miller
Women's Sports Foundation
479.409.7779
KMiller@WomensSportsFoundation.org
