High quality coaching from grass roots to high performance is essential to the production of elite athletes.  Finally the coach has a vital role in the environment (or ‘culture’) of a club.

But clubs / associations are struggling with:

• Finding enough coaches each season
• Coaches don’t last long, turnover is high
• Too few new coaches come through to higher levels
• It’s hard to get people to do coaching courses
• At the junior level, many coaches are well meaning parents who try to do their best but may not have the knowledge or experience
• Coaches tend to coach the way they were coached when they were playing, and today’s kids don’t necessarily respond well to that approach.

‘Traditional’ training for coaches, like accreditation, along with newer methods like online courses are valuable.  But research tells us that coaches, particularly at the community level, want personal support from an experienced coach. This ‘experiential’ or on-the-job learning is important to both improving the quality of coaching and the motivation of coaches.

This is where the Coach Developer (CD) comes in.

Sport Australia has partnered with a number of NSOs to pilot CD programs.  Generic resources have been produced that sports can use / adapt / modify according to their needs.  More resources and case studies will be published as the program develops.