Last week I attended a coaching conference put on by Sport England. Representatives from a number of different sports – from large (like track & field/athletics) to comparatively small (like volleyball) attended. Between the presentations themselves and the discussions we had at our tables, we talked a lot about coach education programs and the concept of coach development. They were interesting conversations.
The structure of coach education
A big topic from the beginning was required formal education (coaching certifications/qualifications) vs. continuous professional development (CPD). The sports are in different places with regards to required certification. Many are like we are at Volleyball England with just two levels. Gymnastics is an example of one with a different approach because of safety considerations.
I think there was general agreement, though, that formal requirements present challenges. Probably the most obvious is the cost in both time and money. Given the majority of coaches are volunteers, you can see how this might create friction in the process.
This brought up the question of whether we could drop certifications. This honestly doesn’t seem likely (insurance reasons, for one), so the next question is how to make the system better. For example, can we integrate CPD to lead people into the Level 1 and then act as a bridge to Level 2.
And, of course, what does CPD look like for those who’ve completed the Level 2 requirements. Those folks can’t just sit back on that for the next 20 years (which definitely happens).
Coach Developers
The other key topic – at least to my mind – was what coach development looks like beyond simply running courses, and what those in the role of Coach Developer actually do. The feeling is that too often they default to simply offering up education rather than the sort of individualized guidance and mentorship really required.
There was an interesting proposal for the training of CDs. That was to have them work with mentee coaches while those coaches go through some kind of education program. In other words, the CDs develop their skills actually working with coaches the way coaches develop their skills actually working with players.
Putting it all in context
Obviously, I was at this conference in my capacity as the head of the national team programs for Volleyball England. As such, I was thinking about things on two levels. Narrowly, I was considering our national team coaches. This is very much like you would do from a club perspective. Granted, I’m not dealing with brand new coaches at that level, but I do need to look at how we help each of them grow and develop. Even experienced coaches have room to keep doing that.
The other perspective for me was broader coach development across England. This is a major focus because if we want better players in our national team pipeline we need stronger player development at the club level. We could have the best coaches in the world, but we simply can’t see the players as much as their club coaches do.
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