ESCONDIDO (KGTV) — Little League teams in Escondido are facing a shortage of coaches — and moms are stepping up to fill the gap.
The season may have ended, but it might not have started without mothers who volunteered to take on coaching roles. There are 60 total coaches across the league's six divisions, and each division is lacking one coach.
Amanda McLean is one of seven mom coaches in the Escondido Baseball League.
"When I had my kids, it was kind of a random request from the league. It was basically we need parents, we need someone to coach, and so I just said, OK," McLean said.
Escondido Youth Baseball Head Coach Manny Ruiz says McLean is part of a growing number of moms now coaching in Escondido.
"I think that they're stepping up because of the demand," Ruiz said.
"The other thing is also is because moms specifically is because I think that um they've grown up and they've played sports themselves. They can do it different and they can bring that to the table," Ruiz said.
McLean reflects on how her own mother's experience differed from hers.
"She was born in 1960 and they didn't have sports for her to play as a girl and I think that's why when I was a kid it was all male coaches and the women kind of took a step back and now we're seeing my generation coming up who were able to play sports and we're I think that's part of why we're starting to see more women coaches as well," McLean said.
McLean says that despite busy schedules, coaching your kids is worth the time.
"We're always going to be busy, right, but time goes fast and the seasons may feel long but they're really not. I think you know you already have to get your kids to practice, so you might as well come out on the field and help out a bit," McLean said.
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