Case Study: Locker Room Talk and VR: Training Coaches to Build Respect from the Ground Up

How a Swedish nonprofit is using Meta Quest to challenge toxic locker room culture—one coach at a time.

In boys’ locker rooms around the world, attitudes are shaped that carry into the wider world. Locker Room Talk (LRT), a Swedish nonprofit, was founded to challenge misogyny in sports culture before it takes root. Their latest tool? Virtual reality, designed to help coaches lead with emotional intelligence and teach young players to respect women and girls.

“The option for coaches to jump into this VR environment and learn on their time—at their pace—changes everything.”
— Shanga Aziz, Co-Founder, Locker Room Talk

⚠️ The Challenge: Education That Sticks—and Scales

LRT’s work relies on delivering in-person training to sports teams and schools, but that model comes with friction:

• 🕒 Time-intensive: Trainers visit teams weekly, which strains resources.

• ⚽ Hard to scale: Youth coaches are busy, and finding space for values-based sessions is difficult.

• 📼 Limited engagement: Traditional role-play and video often don’t land with 10–14-year-old boys.

While coaches know how to run drills, many lack tools to guide respectful team behavior and lead meaningful conversations about gender. LRT needed a more engaging, flexible way to empower coaches at scale.

🧠 The Solution: Coach Journey in VR

With support from educators, legal experts, XR designers, and the Swedish government, LRT developed Coach Journey, a hybrid training program powered by Meta Quest. Coaches step into the shoes of a manager at fictional youth club LRT FC, where avatar players exhibit real-life challenges: fights, disrespect, peer pressure.

🧩 Coaches work through:

• Emotional intelligence exercises

• Gender equality challenges

• Media-facing scenarios in a virtual press room

• Interactive storylines where decisions impact team performance

Each coach’s impact is tracked using a team chemistry meter, with feedback loops and before/after progress checks on emotional awareness.

🎮 Why Meta Quest?

LRT chose Meta Quest for four big reasons:

1. Plug-and-play – Coaches can learn anywhere, anytime

2. Portable – A headset fits in a backpack—no tech crew needed

3. Engaging & Emotional – Avatars react like real kids, helping coaches practice sensitive conversations

4. Perspective-shifting – “We can make coaches see things from another point of view.”

— Julia Frännek, Operations Manager, LRT

✅ Results That Matter

• 🧠 Eight unique locker room scenarios simulate real team issues

• 🎤 Two virtual press rooms let coaches rehearse real-world responses

• 📈 Tracked emotional growth from pre- to post-training

• 👑 King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden personally tried the course in 2022

And the impact? It’s growing every season:

• 40 coaches have completed the full VR program

• 60 more are currently enrolled

• 11,000+ young players have been positively influenced

“This isn’t just about sports—it’s about shaping young men into respectful teammates, classmates, and future leaders.”

🔗 View the official Meta VR case study →

🧠 Meta for Work at Knoxlabs

Your Premier XR Partner for Social Impact, Education, and Nonprofit Scale

Knoxlabs helps mission-driven organizations deploy Meta Quest solutions that educate, engage, and inspire—with strategy, support, and speed.

🆓 Try Meta Quest Free – 5-Day Program

Want to explore how VR can deepen empathy, drive impact, and transform training?
We’ll ship a Meta Quest headset preloaded with apps like Coach Journey—and walk you through it.

🎧 No cost. No risk. Just real results.
🔗 Apply at knoxlabs.com/try-quest

⚙️ Why Knoxlabs?

• ✅ Premier Meta Partner

• ✅ Education + Social Innovation XR Experts

• ✅ MDM + Deployment Support (Meta HMS, ManageXR)

• ✅ Fast, Transparent, Human-Centered Service

• ✅ Trusted by NGOs, educators, and government orgs

📞 Let’s bring your mission to life through VR.
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