Coach Tracking Study Year Three Headline Report

UK Coach Tracking Study Year Three Headline Report

February 2011

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Contents

Executive Summary ............................................................................................... 3

1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 5

2. Method ............................................................................................................ 6

3. The Sample ...................................................................................................... 8

4. Motivation for Coaching .................................................................................... 10

5. Coaching Roles ................................................................................................ 13

6. Coach Development ......................................................................................... 16

7. Coaching Careers ............................................................................................ 27

8. Next 12 months .............................................................................................. 31

9. Exit from coaching ........................................................................................... 33

10.Commentary .................................................................................................. 37

References ......................................................................................................... 39

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Executive Summary

The Research

This report provides the headline findings from the third wave of data collection of the

main quantitative survey of the UK Coach Tracking Study.

The Coach Tracking Study is a four-year project that tracks UK coaches‟ experiences and

opinions in terms of their learning and development, deployment and employment, and

use of support.

The Sample

The third year sample includes 585 UK coaches (down from 851 in Year Two) which

remains the largest ever single sample of coaches to be researched. Information is also

presented for 36 coaches who reported giving up coaching.

The sample characteristics remain slightly different to that of the UK coaching population

as a whole, and appear to reflect more closely the characteristics of the central group of

coaches and head coaches as defined in the UK Coaching Workforce 2009-2016

document (North, 2009). This should be remembered when making any conclusions

about coaches and coaching from this report.

The coaches in the sample were largely male (73%), white (96%), non-disabled (96%),

and well qualified (52% had a degree level qualification or over).

Motivations for Coaching

Coaches continued to coach for a combination of various reasons, however, evidence

suggests that coaches rely primarily on intrinsic motives as they progress through

coaching, such as “enjoying coaching and developing athletes” and “the interaction with

athletes”. In comparison, extrinsic motives, such as pay and benefits, are not as strongly

reported by the coaches.

Coach Development

The coaches used a wide variety of learning sources/environments to inform their

development, and though there were preferences at different stages, and to meet

different learning objectives, evidence from Year Three strengthens the argument that

this variety and balance of sources is critical to coaches‟ development.

As coaches progress through their careers and develop, they appear to place increased

value in learning from informal and self-directed opportunities such as working closely

with the athletes/players/participants, reading books and using online resources.

In a similar fashion, coaches seek a variety of knowledge and information from the

learning opportunities they engage in. However, although they appear to seek more

information on technical and tactical aspects of coaching, they attach greater importance

to learning how to coach (e.g., listening, providing feedback, motivating).

Nine out of ten coaches (95%) held a recognised coaching qualification and valued them

as important to their development (93%), particularly in terms of knowledge gains.

However, evidence suggests that as coaches progress through their careers and become

qualified, they begin to place less value on the attainment of additional qualifications.

Furthermore, an increased number of coaches expressed a concern with the cost of

qualifications and difficulties relating to the location in which courses took place.

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Support Services

Evidence from Year Three suggests that coaches on the whole felt “unsupported” by the

system. Year 3 continues the trend of coaches reporting less support from coaching

organisations, particularly in terms of costs, opportunities and advice on development.

Coaching Careers

Data from Year Three of the project provide some evidence that coaches are likely to

specialise and invest in coaching one or a small number of sports as they progress

through their careers, whereas during early stages they are likely to sample a greater

number of sports.

There appears to be increasing evidence that women coaches are more likely to be paid

than males.

Full-time coaches appear more able to undertake learning and development, whilst still

committing a significant proportion of their time to delivery.

The proportion of paid coaching is increasing slightly but most of this is on a part-time

basis.

The average annual salary for a full-time coach has increased from £21, 676 in Year One

to £23,676 in Year Three.

Coaches reporting that they had given up coaching were an average of 41 years old,

were predominantly male (53%), coached primarily on a voluntary basis (44%), and

held a lower level coaching qualification (53% Level 2 or below). This age profile is

significantly different to that reported in Year Two.

Reasons for giving up coaching were principally attributed to personal factors such as

increased work/family commitments. A secondary factor was a lack of support from

organisations (e.g., club, Governing Body) and lack of career (paid) opportunities.

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1. Introduction

This report provides the headline findings from the third wave of data collection from the

main quantitative survey of the UK Coach Tracking Study.

The UK Coach Tracking Study is a four-year project that tracks UK coaches‟ development

in terms of learning, deployment and employment, and use of support. The project

collects quantitative data using a postal and web-based return from a large panel of UK

coaches.

This report will be followed by a number of more detailed and specific reports and

publications based on the UK Coach Tracking Study datasets.

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2. Method

A full account of the method used in Year One of the UK Coach Tracking Study is

provided in Timson-Katchis and North (2008). The following provides an update of the

methodological issues in the last 12 months.

Participant retention

A key issue for the project given its longitudinal design was to minimise attrition and

maximise retention of participating coaches. Given that data collection occurs on an

annual basis it was important to maintain regular contact with participants. As an

incentive to maintain participation in the project all coaches were offered a free

subscription to Coaching Edge, a magazine which presents information on coaching,

coaching methods, development, leading practice and case studies. The magazine is a

quarterly publication, which ensured that participants were receiving communication

from the project team every three months.

As an additional incentive, all participating coaches were entered into an annual prize

draw for the UK Coaching Awards, one of the most high profile events celebrating the

best of coaching in the UK. Information and updates regarding the project, as well as the

experience of the coaches attending the UK Coaching Awards were featured in Coaching

Edge, thereby reinforcing to coaches the importance of the study and illustrating its

impact.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire used a mixture of closed and open response questions (see Appendix

one). The questionnaire was divided into the following thematic sections:

Section A: Personal changes over the last 12 months

Section B: Coaching changes over the last 12 months

Section C: Coaching experience in the last 12 months

Section D: Coach objectives

Section E: Coach development experiences and knowledge in the last 12 months

Section F: Coach qualifications

Section G: Coaching careers

Section H: Evaluating your own performance

Section I: Support services

Section J: The next 12 months

Data Collection

The questionnaire was sent to the 851 coaches that had participated in Year Two of the

project. Though the questionnaire length was reduced in comparison to Year One,

participants were allowed six months to complete and return the questionnaire. For

those participants who had not returned their questionnaire by post, regular reminders

were sent via the coaching edge and by e-mail.

Participants were offered three options for completing the survey:

Paper Submission: All participants were sent a paper-version of the questionnaire

along with a prepaid envelope to return it in.

Online Submission: Participants with online access were sent a secure web link to an

online version of the questionnaire. The link, unique to each coach, allowed

participants to complete the questionnaire over time and submit once completed.

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Over the phone: Coaches were also able to complete the questionnaire over the

phone with the principal researcher.

Response

Of the 851 coaches that participated in Year One, 621 re-engaged in the project and

returned the questionnaire for Year Three, a retention rate of 73%. 585 of these coaches

were still active and 36 had stopped coaching.

Of the 230 coaches that withdrew from the study, 37 coaches (16%) relocated without

advising project management of their new contact details and therefore the

communication was returned undelivered. 21 coaches (9%) notified the research team of

their withdrawal from the project, 13 of which did due to the fact they were no longer

coaching while the other 8 coaches provided no reason. The majority of the coaches that

did not re-engage (n=172) did not communicate the reasons for their withdrawal with

the project team.

Analysis

Given the longitudinal design of the project and its stated aim to track coaches‟ progress

over four years, it was important to compare Year Three results with those in Year One.

To facilitate this, Year One results were recalculated on the basis of the Year Three

sample (585 coaches) to provide direct comparability.

The report is split into two main sections. The first presents results on the active coaches

(585 coaches); the second on those coaches who had stopped in the last 12 months and

returned their Year Three questionnaire (36 coaches).

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3. The Sample

In order to understand and set in context the main findings of the report it is important

to consider the sample of coaches in this wave of data collection. General demographic

information is initially presented, in addition to data on the coaches‟ non-coaching

education.

Gender, Disability and Ethnicity

Sports Coaching in the UK 3 (sports coach UK, 2011) suggests male coaches account for

69% of the overall UK coaching workforce but in the case of qualified coaches (excluding

assistant coaches) 82% are male. The sample in the current study falls in between these

two figures, with a higher proportion of male coaches (73%) in comparison to the overall

coaching population, but a lower proportion in comparison to the qualified subgroup

(Table 3.1).

The Coaching Workforce 2009-2016 document suggests that 8% of the overall UK

coaching population and 11% of qualified coaches have a disability (North, 2009). In the

Coach Tracking Study sample there was an under-representation, with 4% of coaches

stating that they have a disability (Table 3.1).

Table 3.1

Coaches by Gender, Disability and Ethnicity

Year Three

N= %

Gender

Male 425 73

Female 160 27

Disability

Disabled 24 4

Non-Disabled 561 96

Ethnicity

White 564 96

Black and Ethnic Minorities 17 3

Prefer not to say 4 1

Total 585 100 Base: All coaches

The 2001 Census of Population indicates that almost 8% of the UK Population is from

minority ethnic groups. Data from Sports Coaching in the UK 3 (sports coach UK, 2011)

suggests that minority ethnic groups are under-represented in the overall UK coaching

population with just 3% reporting themselves as non-white. This under-representation is

further increased in the case of qualified coaches (excluding assistant coaches) as only

1% of these are of an ethnic minority(sports coach UK, 2011). The ethnic breakdown of

the sample in this study reflects this under-representation, with 3% of coaches reporting

as non-white (Table 3.1).

Age and Parenthood

Sports Coaching in the UK 3 (sports coach UK, 2011) indicates that 77% of coaches fit

into three age bands (15-24, 35-44 and 45-54). The sample in this study depicts a

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somewhat older profile, with the highest percentage of coaches in the 45-54 year age

bands and only 9% of coaches in the 15-24 age band. The average age of a coach in this

study is 44 years in Year Three, in comparison to 41.8 in Year One, in line with the

progression of the survey.

With regards to parental status, there has been little change between Year One and Year

Three, with 20 coaches becoming parents again. 3 out of 5 coaches in this study have

children (62%) (Table 3.2).

Table 3.2

Coaches by Age and Parent Role

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Age

15-24 years 65 11 50 9

25-34 years 97 17 88 15

35-44 years 154 26 125 21

45-54 years 165 28 198 34

55+ years 104 19 124 21

Average Age 41.8 44

Parents

Yes 334 57 361 62

No 251 43 224 38

Total 585 100 585 100

Base: All Coaches

Highest Qualification Held

The coaches in the sample were well educated with 52% having a degree-level

qualification and only 1% having no qualifications (Table 3.3). This complements other

research that has noted relatively high qualification levels amongst coaches compared to

the UK population (North, 2006).

Table 3.3

Coaches by Highest Qualification held (non-coaching)

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Degree or Equivalent

262 47 296 52

Higher Education Qualifications

99 18 100 18

GCE A-Level or Equivalent

69 12 59 10

GCSE or

Equivalent 109 20 94 17

Other 7 1 13 2

No

qualifications 14 3 8 1

Total 560 100 570 100

Base: All coaches

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4. Motivation for Coaching

In Year Three, coaches were asked about their motivation to continue coaching. The

most cited reasons related to the interaction of coaches with participants and the

rewards associated with it. Nine out of ten coaches (92%) stated that the “enjoyment

derived from seeing athletes develop their skills and improve” motivated them to

continue coaching. Over three quarters of coaches (79%) indicated that they continued

coaching because they “liked the interaction with participants” and 71% indicated that

they “liked the buzz when participants did well, knowing that they had something to do

with it” (Table 4.1).

Table 4.1

Coaches’ Motivation to Continue Coaching by Gender in Year Three

All Coaches % Male Coaches

% Female Coaches N= %

I like seeing athletes develop their skills and improve

532 92 92 93

I like the interaction with athletes / players / participants

457 79 80 79

I like the buzz when athletes do well, knowing I had something to do with it

412 71 71 73

Maintain involvement in sport now that I don‟t play

252 44 48 32

I like the thrill of competition 176 31 33 23

To help my old club 157 27 27 27

To help my child 121 21 24 12

It‟s a good career in terms of pay and

benefits 68 12 11 14

Base: 585 coaches who were still actively coaching Note: Coaches were able to tick all options that applied to them

Differences in motivation between male and female coaches revolve mainly around

children and past participation. The data suggests that female coaches are less likely to

continue coaching because of their child‟s own sporting participation (12% in comparison

to 24% of male coaches) (Table 4.1). This finding corresponds with data from Year One

and Two of the project, which suggest that male coaches are more likely to begin

coaching in order to help their child in sport (Timson-Katchis & North, 2008).

The largest difference between male and female participation is around maintaining

involvement in a sport the coach used to play. Given the lower levels of female

participation generally (sports coach UK 2011) it is not surprising that 32% of female

coaches are motivated by past participation compared to 48% of male coaches.

The results for Year Three back up previous findings from Year two that as coaches gain

experience in coaching, their motivation to remain in coaching is derived primarily from

their personal enjoyment and the sense of pride and achievement it offers them. This

highlights the importance of intrinsic motivation for continuing coaching, but may also

reflect the state of the wider UK sport system in which external benefits (e.g., pay) are

rare.

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When motivations to continue coaching are examined by employment type a consistent

pattern has emerged over the last three years. Volunteer coaches appear more

motivated by family and community concerns (e.g. helping their child or their old club).

Paid coaches appear more motivated by the intrinsic qualities of coaching (e.g.

developing athletes and the interaction with athletes and players). In comparison to

volunteer and part-time coaches, full-time coaches are more motivated by extrinsic

benefits such as career, pay and benefits. However, these extrinsic benefits are still less

important than the intrinsic benefits they receive (e.g. interaction with athletes).

Coaches had an opportunity to highlight other reasons that motivated them to continue

coaching. Sixty coaches indicated an additional motivation and these are summarised in

Table 4.2 below. Though some of the reasons offered are not entirely unexpected and

reflect some of the reasons listed in Table 4.1 (e.g., improving participants life skills), it

was interesting that the most popular additional reason revolved around personal

development.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% Volunteer

Coaches

% Part Time

Coaches

% Full Time

Coaches

Figure 1:Coaches Motivation to Continue Coaching By

Employment Type

I like seeing athletes develop their skills

and improve

I like the interaction with athletes / players

/ participants

I like the buzz when athletes do well,

knowing I had something to do with itTo help my child

To help my old club

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This is demonstrated by comments on „other motivations‟ that included: „develop my

knowledge and understanding of the coaching process‟; „enhance my own knowledge

and consequently my performance‟; and „I can learn how to improve my own

performance sometimes‟. This is consistent with the reasoning in Year Two (Timson-

Katchis and North 2010) that as coaches facilitate participant development, they develop

themselves.

Table 4.2

Other Motivations for Continuing to coach

Times mentioned Personal Development 12

Help the local community by addressing a gap in the local coaching provision 6

Give something back to sport 5

Help young participants in particular develop life skills and stay out of trouble 5

Love sport 3

I coach as part of my job (e.g., sport development, PE teacher) 3

Want to pursue coaching as a career so gradually moving towards that 2

Coaching is a good social alternative 2

Base: All coaches that offered an additional motivation for continuing to coach

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5. Coaching Roles

In this section the report presents evidence on the specific roles the coaches were

undertaking in Year Three in comparison to Year One. Information is initially presented

on the sports the coaches worked across, followed by data on the age of the participants

they coached, and the participants‟ competitive level.

Number of Sports Coached

In Year One of the project the majority of coaches (66%) coached only one sport. A third

of coaches (22%) coached two or three sports, with a very small minority coaching four

or more (4%) (Table 5.1). In Year Three there was a significant change with a greater

concentration on one sport (84% now only coached one sport). Figures for Year Three

suggest the shift from sampling to specialising in coaching as suggested by Timson-

Katchis and North (2010) may have peaked in Year Two (when the figure was also

84%). It will be interesting to see if there are any changes reported in Year Four.

Table 5.1

Number of Sports Coached

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

1 368 66 488 84

2 124 22 62 11

3 45 8 18 3

4 10 2 5 1

5 4 1 5 1

6 3 1

Average 1.5 1.2

Total 554 100 578 100

Base: All coaches Note: Year One data include all sports coached since start of coaching career up to date of Year

One data collection; Year Three data include sports coached in the last 12 months

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In terms of the sports coached there has been little or no change noted from Year One to

Year Three (Table 5.2). Football remains the sport most coached with 22% of coaches

(albeit down from 27% in Year One) followed by Hockey (10%), Rugby Union (9%)

Cricket (7%), and Athletics (7%). These results are consistent with data presented in

Sports Coaching in the UK 3 (sports coach UK 2011).

Table 5.2

Coaches by Sport

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Football 158 27 131 22

Hockey 61 10 56 10

Rugby Union 57 10 50 9

Cricket 55 9 43 7

Athletics 49 8 41 7

Swimming 37 6 29 5

Netball 30 5 23 4

Cycling 29 5 28 5

Tennis 28 5 26 4

Equestrian 24 4 21 4

Basketball 21 4 16 3

Squash 23 4 20 3

Gymnastics 16 3 13 2

Orienteering 16 3 14 2

Badminton 14 2 10 2

Judo 13 2 9 2

Running/jogging 12 2 6 1

Triathlon 11 2 9 2

Canoeing 11 2 6 1

Rowing 9 2 8 1

Bowls 8 1 9 2

Rugby League 8 1 5 1

Table Tennis 8 1 5 1

Golf 7 1 6 1

Archery 7 1 4 <1

Volleyball 6 1 5 1

Weight Training 6 1 5 <1

Climbing 5 <1 1 <1

Windsurfing 4 <1 2 <1

Skiing 4 <1 1 <1

Sailing 4 <1 -- --

Keep fit / Yoga 3 <1 5 1

Movement/Dance 3 <1 2 <1

Karate 3 <1 4 <1

Rounders 2 <1 7 1

Shooting 1 <1 2 <1

Mountaineering 1 <1 1 <1

Ice Skating 1 <1 -- --

Ten Pin Bowling 1 <1 -- --

Base: All coaches Note: Data are based on number of coaches coaching any given sport, so coaches coaching 2 or more sports have been counted for all the sports they coach.

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Age and Level of Participant Groups Coached

In terms of the age groups coached, it is important to note that accurate comparisons

cannot be drawn due to changes in the data collection methodology between Years One

and Three, though allowing for this, some similarities remain. The majority of coaching

roles were primarily with the young people aged four to twenty, with nearly eight out of

ten roles being with these groups (Table 5.3). In comparison, only two out of ten

coaching roles were with adult groups in Year Three. The results are consistent with data

from Sports Coaching in the UK 3 (sports coach UK 2011) which reports that over three

quarters of coaches were working with children.

Table 5.3

Age of participant groups coached

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Younger Children 4-11 years

169 12 384 29

Older Children 12-16 years

197 14 445 33

Young People 17-20 years

75 5 222 16

Adults 21+ 100 7 295 22

Mixed 884 62 --- ---

Total 1425 100 1346 100

Base: All coaching roles Note: The figures above are based on all coaching roles rather than all coaches, so if a coach has 2 or more coaching roles, they have been counted 2 or more times

In Year One data regarding all coaching roles since coached started coaching were gathered, whereas in Year Three only data on coaching roles in the last 12 months were collected.

In terms of the level of participants a similar trend is observed as per the age of

participants coached. Most coaching roles focused at the “Club” level (28%) with

“Improver” (20%) and “Beginner” (20%) levels closely following (Table 5.4). This trend

could be attributed to the high numbers of coaching roles with younger age groups. As

expected, far fewer coaching roles appear to be with higher-level participants, for

example, only 4% being at the international level.

Table 5.4

Level of participant groups coached

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Beginner 311 22 258 20

Improver 179 12 257 20

Club 345 24 371 28

County 97 7 124 9

Regional 75 5 120 9

National 58 4 97 7

International 69 5 51 4

Recreational 10 1 31 2

Mixed 284 20 --- ---

Total 1428 100 1309 100

Base: All coaching roles Note: The figures above are based on all coaching roles rather than all coaches, so if a coach has 2 or more coaching roles, they have been counted 2 or more times.

In Year One data regarding all coaching roles since coaches started coaching were gathered,

whereas in Year Three only data on coaching roles in the last 12 months were collected.

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6. Coach Development

A key aim of the project was to explore coaches‟ development in terms of their

experiences, education and qualifications. In this section, the report explores coach

development in further detail by extending the analysis to coaches‟ knowledge.

Learning Sources/Environments

An important aspect of the research design was to consider the most important sources

or environments from where coach learning takes place.

Learning Source/Environment Usage

In Year One, the results suggested that coaches used a wide variety of learning

sources/environments to enhance their learning and development, and data from Year

Three reinforced this claim. Learning sources, which are immediate to the act of

coaching, remain the most used by coaches, such as „coaching practice‟ (84%),

„reflective practice‟ (75%), „working with athletes/players/participants‟ (72%), and

„working with/observing coaches from your sport „(71%) (Table 6.1).

In the Year Two report it was suggested that the slight decrease in the numbers of

coaches citing „coaching practice‟ as a source of learning and development may be

attributed to coaches becoming more proficient in the day-to-day tasks of coaching,

therefore placing less importance on the utilisation of coaching practice as a learning

source. Year Three results support this idea as the decrease in those citing „coaching

practice‟ as a source of learning and development has increased from 4% to 7% as the

coaches gain more experience.

Interestingly, „non-coaching related education‟ was used by 14% more coaches in Year

Three in comparison to Year One, which would suggest that coaches are drawing

learning from outside the coaching field.

Sources of learning that were increasingly utilised in Year Three were „reading books,

journals, magazines‟ (+2%) and „online learning‟ (+3%) which illustrates that coaches

are using a wide variety of media to enhance their learning. These types of resources

have been highlighted by previous research (Gilbert & Trudel, 2001) in which coaches

reportedly used them to generate strategies and solve specific coaching concerns.

There was a notable decrease (-27%) in the numbers of coaches citing formal coaching

qualifications as a source of learning and development. However this is likely to be a

reflection of the sample, as 95% of coaches are qualified, and only 22% of coaches

gained a new coaching qualification in the last 12 months with only 13% working

towards a new one (see Table 6.5)

Data further suggests that as coaches progress and develop they do not rely as much on

their own sporting experiences – „experiences as an athlete/player/participant‟ and

„observing my own coach when I was player‟ were both cited by 6% less, a finding

echoed by the wider coach development literature (Gilbert, Côté, & Mallett, 2006;

Erickson, Côté, & Fraser-Thomas, 2007).

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Table 6.1 Learning Sources / Environments Utilised by Coaches in the Last 12 months

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Coaching Practice 530 91 490 84

Reading Coaching books, magazines and journals

463 79 476 81

Working with / observing coaches from your sport

442 76 415 71

Reflecting on past coaching 437 75 441 75

Working with athletes / players / participants

432 74 424 72

Coaching qualifications – Governing Body or UKCC

379 65 222 38

Experiences as an athlete / player /

participant 377 64 338 58

Watching DVDs, Videos, CD ROMs 354 61 326 56

Advice from family / friends 294 50 291 50

Online Learning 410 49 303 52

Coaching Conferences 282 48 258 44

Workshops 269 46 303 52

Working with a coach mentor 239 41 300 37

Experience of being a parent 238 41 208 36

Working with / observing coaches from

other sports 236 40 237 41

Experience at work outside coaching 229 39 217 37

Working with / observing my own coach when I was player

172 29 136 23

Non-coaching related education 148 25 230 39

1:1 training needs analysis with a coach developer

95 16 51 9

Base: All coaches

Note: Coaches were able to indicate more than one learning source therefore figures do not total

Learning Source/Environment Importance

In terms of the importance of learning sources/environments, many of those that are

used the most frequently, are also seen as being the most important. Furthermore

despite the noted reduced levels of usage of learning sources, the perceived importance

of the sources has generally increased across the board since Year One (Table 6.2).

As per Year One, and in line with a great deal of other research on coach development

(Abraham et al, 2006; Salmela, 1996; Wright et al, 2007), learning by doing involving

„coaching practice‟, remains one of the most important (97%) learning sources.

Other important learning sources identified were those that involve working with others

(coaches, athletes and mentors). This reinforces the argument put forward in the Year

Two report that coaches appear to attach great importance to networking with other

coaches, and being able to establish and engage in communities of practice.

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Table 6.2 Rating of Learning Sources / Environments Utilised by Coaches in the Last 12 months

Year One Year Three

% Important % Important

Coaching Practice 99 97

Working with athletes / players / participants

97 97

Working with / observing coaches from your sport

95 98

Working with a coach mentor 95 97

Workshops / training events / courses 94 94

Coaching qualifications – Governing Body or UKCC

93 93

Coaching Conferences 93 94

Reflecting on past coaching 92 96

Experiences as an athlete / player / participant

89 93

1:1 training needs analysis with a coach developer

87 96

Working with / observing coaches from other sports

87 95

Reading Coaching books, magazines and journals

86 95

Watching DVDs, Videos, CD ROMs 86 92

Experience of being a parent 85 95

Working with / observing my own coach when I was player

84 93

Non-coaching related education 78 95

Advice from family / friends 78 93

Experience at work outside coaching 76 94

Online Learning 77 93

Base: All coaches who indicated that they used the named source

All the learning sources are rated as important to learning and development by over

90% of coaches. Therefore, it would be reasonable to conclude that coaches value

learning and it is most effective when it combines many different types of learning

situations. Given the highly dynamic and complex nature of coaching (Cushion et al,

2003) coaches need to develop a wide range of skills and knowledge. Data presented

here, suggests that in an attempt to achieve this, coaches engage in a wide variety of

learning situations, each having its own unique role to play in a coach‟s development and

indeed it is the blending of these that is significant.

Time spent on Learning and Development Activities

The coaches were asked to indicate how much time they spent on development

opportunities in the past year1. Overall there was little change from Year One with the

exception of the amount of time spent on development activities. Part and full time

coaches increased by 42 minutes and 1 hour respectively whereas volunteer coaches

reduced this figure by 12 minutes. This is understandable given that volunteer coaches

are likely to have jobs outside coaching with less time to spare on tasks such as

development. In contrast, full time coaches may be more likely to see development

opportunities as a central component of their working lives and contribute time

accordingly.

1 For the purposes of this analysis the following learning and development opportunities were not included, as these would not provide an accurate representation: (a) coaching practice, (b) experience at work, (c) experience of being a parent, (d) experiences as a participant, (e) working with participants and (f) working with my own coach when I was a player.

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Table 6.3

Average estimated weekly time spent on development activities (hours)

Year One Year Three

All Coaches 4.6 4.7

Employment Status

Voluntary 3.9 3.7

Paid Part Time 4.4 5.1

Paid Full Time 6.0 7.0

Parenthood

Yes 4.2 4.8

No 5.1 4.7

Base: All coaches

Coaches who were parents devoted an hour less in Year One when compared to coaches

with no children (Table 6.3). However, in Year 3, parents and non-parents seem to be

devoting similar amounts of time to developmental activities. Analysis was conducted

against variables such as age, gender, length of coaching experience, level of coaching

qualification and level of participants coached and no differences were found.

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Knowledge and Information Sought by Coaches

In Year Two and Year Three of the project, the research was expanded to collect

information on the types of knowledge and information the coaches sought in furthering

their practice.

Coaches were asked to state what types of knowledge and information they sought from

engaging in various developmental activities. The results indicate that although the

coaches favoured some types of knowledge such as on technique and tactics (74% of

coaches), they were also interested in interpersonal skills such as “providing participants

with feedback” (65%), “motivating participants” (62%), and “listening skills” (60%)

(Table 6.4). This may reflect the importance given to learning sources that involve

working with others (Table 6.2). It is further evidenced by the fact that seven out of ten

coaches rated skills such as “listening” (81%), “responsiveness” (71%), “providing

feedback” (70%) and “motivating” (67%) as being very important to their development.

Table 6.4

Knowledge / information sought by coaches and perceived rating of importance Year Three

Sought Importance Rating

N= %

% Very

Important

%

Important

%

Unimportant

Technical / Tactical Knowledge

433 74 63 37 1

Providing Feedback 380 65 70 30 --

Motivating 364 62 67 32 1

Observation and Analysis 360 62 65 34 1

Planning Sessions (i.e.

content structure) 359 61 64 35 1

Listening 349 60 81 19 --

Providing Instruction 338 58 61 37 1

Self reflection 338 58 65 34 1

Evaluating Sessions 328 56 57 42 1

Knowledge of wide range of methods

328 56 53 46 1

Understanding Player development

321 55 61 39 1

Questioning 313 54 65 35 --

Responsiveness 308 53 71 28 1

Organisation of sessions (i.e. health & safety, equipment)

294 50 58 41 1

Planning Programmes (i.e.

over a season / year) 288 49 52 47 1

Decision Making 254 43 58 40 1

Managing the environment

254 43 58 41 1

Facilitating 223 40 56 43 1

Base: All coaches Note: Coaches were able to indicate more than one type of knowledge therefore figures do not total Types of knowledge / information were only rated by coaches who had indicated they had sought it

On the whole, the data illustrates that coaches recognise the multi-dimensional nature of

coaching practice, and the need for learning and development to reflect this. It is

interesting however that although coaches have had access to/sought information on the

“what” of coaching (e.g. technique/tactics), they appear to place greater importance on

the “how” of coaching (e.g. listening, motivating etc.).

21

Coach Qualifications

Of the 585 coaches that took part in the survey, 555 (95%) held a recognised coaching

qualification in Year One (Table 6.5). A further 5 coaches gained their first recognised

coaching qualification in Year Three. In total 126 coaches (22%) gained a new

recognised coaching qualification in Year Three.

Data from Sports Coaching in the UK 3 (sports coach UK, 2011) indicates that half

(53%) of the UK coaching population holds a recognised coaching qualification. Whilst it

is encouraging to note that 95% of participating coaches were qualified, this is likely to

be a sampling issue, as many of the coaches participating in the project were recruited

through 1st4Sport qualifications and through links within the coaching system (e.g.,

Governing Bodies of Sport, local authorities and county sport partnerships).

The percentage of male and female coaches with up to date qualifications are similar

(95% and 97% respectively) (Table 6.5). This result is in stark contrast to the findings of

the Sports Coaching in the UK 3 report (sports coach UK, 2011) which indicates a

significant imbalance between male and female qualified coaches in the general coaching

population.

Table 6.5 Coach Qualification Breakdown

Year Three % Male Coaches

% Female Coaches

Have a qualification N= %

Yes 555 95 95 97

No 28 5 5 3

Gained a new qualification

Yes 126 22 19 28

No 459 78 81 72

Highest Level Qualification

Level 1 96 18 18 17

Level 2 181 33 32 37

Level 3 165 30 34 22

Level 4 77 14 13 17

Level 5 23 4 3 7

Currently studying for another qualification

Yes 76 13 14 13

No 509 87 86 87

Total 100 100 100

Base: All coaches

While level 2 qualifications remain the most common, it is encouraging to note that there

has been an increase (albeit slight) in the attainment of Level 3 to 5 qualifications. For

example, only 11% held a Level 4 qualification in Year One, which rose to 12% in Year

Two, and which has risen to 14% in Year 3. Furthermore, while 25% of coaches had a

level 3 qualification in Year One, this rose to 27% in Year Two and further increased to

30% in Year 3. In comparison with the sub-group of qualified coaches identified in the

Coaching Workforce 2009-2016 document (North, 2009), most of which were qualified to

Levels 1 and 2, results show that the majority of Coach Tracking Study coaches are

qualified to a higher level (levels 2 and 3).

22

Given the high incidence of qualified coaches within the sample it is perhaps unsurprising

that only 13% of coaches were currently working towards another qualification (much

lower than the 42% noted in Year One) and suggests that a significant majority of

coaches are increasingly focusing their development on informal and non-formal

learning.

Table 6.6 Highest Level Qualification held by coaches working with children in Year Three

All Coaches

Coaches working with children under 16 years

old

Coaches working with participants over 17

years old

N= % N= % N= % Level 1 96 18 84 20 12 9

Level 2 181 33 147 35 34 28

Level 3 165 30 120 29 45 37

Level 4 77 14 54 13 23 19

Level 5 23 4 15 4 8 6

Total 542 100 420 100 122 100

Base: All qualified coaches

There was evidence that coaches working with children under 16 years old were less well

qualified than those working with participants 17 years and older (Table 6.6). For

example, only 17% of coaches working with children had a Level 4 or 5 qualification,

compared to 25% of coaches working with older teenagers and adults. There are two

possible explanations for this finding. Firstly, coaches working with young children may

feel that a basic level qualification (e.g., Level 1) will be adequate for the group they

work with. Secondly, coaches working with adults are more likely to deal with elite

athletes or participants attempting to acquire a high level of expertise, and thus may

require a high level of qualification (e.g., Level 4 or above) to work effectively with these

individuals.

Benefits of Coaching Qualifications

Comments on the benefits of taking-up a formal coaching qualification (Table 6.7)

demonstrate the shift in coach thinking as they gain experience. In Year One the most

cited benefits were linked to improving knowledge and practice. By Year Three the most

important benefits highlighted were “provides new information/keeps you up to date”

(48%), “networking and sharing of ideas with other coaches” (47%) and “takes your

coaching to the next level” (47%). Qualification content may be more important earlier

in a coaches‟ career, whereas being provided with new information, networking and

advancing coaching skills to a new level may be more useful for coaches who have

acquired the basic knowledge bases in earlier qualification uptake.

As may be expected, there was a notable decrease of 22% between Year One and Year

Three in terms of the influence of coaching qualifications on the basic skills to start

coaching. As the majority of coaches (95%) in the current sample are qualified and have

significant coaching experience, basic coaching skills have already been acquired and are

therefore unlikely to be influenced by the undertaking on any new qualifications.

23

Table 6.7 Perceived Benefits of undertaking a new coaching qualification

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Improves Coaching Knowledge 180 52 49 39

Improves Coaching Practice 180 52 51 40

Builds Up Confidence 164 47 52 41

Networking and sharing of ideas 163 47 59 47

Takes your coaching to the next level 159 46 59 47

Improves knowledge of sport 152 44 53 42

Provides new information / keeps you up to date

141 41 61 48

Provides a focus for coach development 140 40 45 36

Improves practice of sport 134 39 42 33

Builds up your CV 131 38 42 33

Provides you with credibility 125 36 43 34

Provides access to new coaching opportunities

107 31 29 23

Provides you with the skills to coach wider

audiences 96 28 30 24

Gives you the basic skills to start coaching 93 27 6 5

Base: All coaches studying for a new coaching qualification Note: Coaches could indicate more than one problem therefore figures do not total

On the whole, despite the current coach development literature presenting formal coach

qualifications in an unfavourable light (e.g., Abraham et al, 2006; Nelson & Cushion,

2006) results illustrate that qualifications are seen as beneficial. In many respects

coaching qualifications should be seen as being complementary to other methods of

coach development rather than central.

Problems with Coaching Qualifications

Financial and logistical concerns such as cost, location and timing consistently rank as

the three biggest problems to taking up qualifications in Years One to Three. In Year

Three these problems remain most cited, and in fact were highlighted by a greater

majority of coaches (25%, 25% and 25% respectively). However, other problems raised

in Year One, concerning awareness and information provision, were cited by fewer

coaches in Year Three. These results indicate that although cost is indeed a growing

concern for coaches, a greater number of them are aware of possible funding options.

An increased percentage of coaches (from 12% in Year One to 21% in Year Three) cited

that courses take too long to complete. This might be a particularly important issue for

coaches of a volunteer status who combine coaching with a full-time job and family

duties. As a result, combining day-to-day duties with the time required to complete

coaching courses is likely to place them under significant pressure.

In terms of the content and quality of the qualifications, little change was noted.

Problems with the accuracy of assessment methods (7%) and an overemphasis on

coaching theory (7%) reduced slightly in importance in Year Three although concerns

with the language used in coach education rose slightly to 6%. In addition, issues

regarding the lack of practice (8%) and benefit of qualifications at early stages of

development (3%) were cited by a smaller percentage of coaches in Year Three. As

coaches acquire more hands-on coaching experience they may attach less importance to

whether or not coach education can provide them with practice opportunities.

Furthermore, these results suggest that despite the perceived improvement in

assessment methods, coaches still feel that qualifications do not have a significant

practical dimension. On a positive note, problems relating to tutor quality have

24

decreased by 3% which could be a reflection of changes in tutor training as part of the

UKCC.

Table 6.8 Perceived Problems of undertaking a new coaching qualification

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Not enough information on funding available for coach education

84 24 23 18

Courses are difficult to access in terms of their timing

81 23 31 25

Courses are too expensive 79 23 31 25

Courses are difficult to access in terms of

their location 70 20 31 25

Assessment methods do not reflect coaching knowledge and practice

50 14 9 7

Overemphasis on coaching theory rather than its application in the real world

49 14 9 7

Not enough information on the next logical step in coach education

45 13 7 6

Not enough information on how to access coach education

44 13 11 9

Courses take too much time to complete 43 12 26 21

Qualification does not include enough actual practice

36 10 10 8

Tutors delivering the courses are not of a

high enough quality 25 7 5 4

Qualifications are only appropriate at early

stages of development 15 4 4 3

Qualification is not at an appropriate level 13 4 4 3

The language/terminology used in coach education and CPD is difficult to understand

13 4 7 6

There is no need to coach education and qualifications as coaching experience is

enough

5 1 0 0

Base: All coaches studying for a new coaching qualification Note: Coaches could indicate more than one „problem‟ therefore figures do not total

25

Rating of Support Services

The coaches were asked to comment on the support they received from Governing

Bodies of Sport and other agencies such as sports coach UK. Results in Year One,

presented a mixed picture with about 30% of coaches indicating that they felt supported,

with the remaining 70% indicating that they had received little or no support (Table

6.9). It is disappointing that by Year Three the number of coaches feeling supported has

dropped.

Table 6.9 Rating of Support Received From Coaching Organisations ‘Development Support’

(e.g., GBs of Sport, sports coach UK) Supported Supported

a little

Not at all supported

Not relevant (support not

needed) Total

% % % % % N=

Identifying

developme

nt

opportuniti

es

Year

One 34 34 29 3 100 566

Year

Three 29 30 35 6 100 562

Help with the

cost of development

opportunities

Year

One 25 21 50 5 100 568

Year Three 22 21 49 8 100 569

Identifying

your development needs

Year

One 34 34 29 3 100 571

Year

Three 26 34 34 6 100 574

Base: All coaches

Regarding the specific results only three out of ten coaches felt that they were

supported, both in terms of identifying generic development opportunities (29%), but

also identifying their own specific development needs (26%), in comparison to over a

third of coaches in Year One (34% and 34% respectively). Nearly half of the coaches

(49%) felt that they were not receiving any support with regards to the cost of their

development, a finding in line with comments made by coaches about the cost of coach

qualifications (see Table 6.8). The results support findings from Year One that two

primary barriers to coaches‟ further development are knowing what opportunities are

available and appropriate and the cost of such opportunities.

26

Table 6.10

Rating of Support Received From Coaching Organisations ‘Career Development’ (e.g., GBs of Sport, sports coach UK)

Supported Supported

a little

Not at all supported

Not relevant (support not

needed) Total

% % % % % N=

Help with

finding

appropriate

opportuniti

es to coach

Year

One 25 24 36 14 100 567

Year

Three 21 22 40 17 100 571

Knowing the next steps for your coaching

Year One 35 35 25 5 100 565

Year Three 28 32 33 8 100 572

Help with career opportunities

Year One 17 20 41 21 100 567

Year Three 13 18 44 25 100 572

Base: All coaches

The coaches reported receiving lower levels of support for developing their careers in

Year Three in comparison to Year One (Table 6.10). Only 28% of coaches indicated that

they received support on „knowing the next steps for your coaching career’, a drop of 7%

from Year One (Table 6.10). In terms of getting help to progress their careers most

coaches indicated that they did not feel supported in Year One and this has increased in

Year Three. Four out of ten coaches in Year Three indicated that they received no

support with finding opportunities to coach (40%), in comparison to just over a third

(36%) in Year One. This could be a reflection of the decrease in the number of coaches

coming into contact with coach development officers (see Timson-Katchis & North,

2010).

27

7. Coaching Careers

One of the main aims of the research was to identify the changing profile of the coaches‟

careers. This section reports on the coaches‟ employment status (i.e. whether they are

voluntary, part-time and full-time coaches), the impact of coaches‟ employment status

on the frequency and time distribution of coaching-related activities, and finally coaches‟

pay levels.

Employment Status

From Year One to Year Three of the project, no change is noted in terms of coaches

working in a voluntary capacity. However, there has been a 9% increase in the number

of paid part time coaches with a similar decrease in the number of paid full time coaches

(see Table 7.1). A greater proportion of female coaches in Year Three appear to be

coaching on a paid basis (both part time and full time) (71% female compared to 58% of

males in Year One and 70% female compared to 50% male in Year Three).

Table 7.1 Coaches by Employment Type

Year One Year Three % Male Coaches % Female Coaches

N= % N= % Year One

Year Three

Year One

Year Three

Voluntary 250 44 255 44 52 50 29 30

Paid Part Time

199 35 254 44 39 39 44 56

Paid Full Time

120 21 71 12 19 11 27 14

Total 569 100 580 100 100 100 100 100

Base: All coaches

Time Spent Coaching

In examining coaches‟ use of time, and their frequency of coaching, there was little

change between Years One and Three, with most coaches (91%) coaching at least once

a week or more (Table 7.2).

Table 7.2

Frequency of Coaching

Year One Year Three

N= % N= %

Almost every day 221 39 223 39

At least once a week

293 51 303 52

At least once a month

39 7 45 8

At least once every 6 months

14 2 7 1

At least once a

year 3 1 1 <1

Total 570 100 579 100

Base: All coaches

28

The Year Three data continued to support the notion that full time coaches were

coaching on a daily basis, whereas part time and volunteer coaches were most likely to

coach on a weekly basis (Table 7.3).

Table 7.3 Frequency of Coaching by employment type

Volunteer Part Time Full Time

Year One Year Three

Year One Year Three

Year One Year Three

Almost every day

13 12 39 48 92 100

At least once a week

72 73 52 47 6 ---

At least once a

month 10 12 6 5 2 ---

At least once every 6 months

4 2 3 <1 --- ---

At least once a

year 1 <1 --- --- --- ---

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100

Base: All coaches

Information was also collected regarding the coaches‟ allocation of time to various

coaching related tasks on a weekly basis (Table 7.4). Interestingly, less than half of the

coaches‟ time was actually spent on delivering coaching, a figure which was similar for

Years One and Three (43% and 40% respectively). This is consistent with data for the

UK coaching population (sports coach UK 2011). However in other areas this sample is

different from the general coaching population with more time spent on administration

and less on preparation and review. Surprisingly, only 21% of time was spent preparing

and reviewing coaching activities, the latter of which is regarded as good practice and

can enhance learning and development.

Table 7.4 Weekly breakdown of coaching related hours

Coaching

Activity

Year One Year Three

Time (hrs) % Of Time Time (hrs) % Of Time

Preparation 2.9 14 2.8 12

Delivery 8.9 43 9.3 40

Review 1.8 9 2.1 9

Coach Related Administration

3.3 16 3.2 14

Other 3.9 19 --- ---

Travel --- --- 3.5 15

CPD --- --- 2.3 11

Total coaching hours

20.8 100 23.2 100

Base: All coaches Note: “Other” option expanded in Years Two and Three into “Travel” and “CPD”

Similar to Year One, results from Year Three support the link between coaches‟ allocation

of time and their employment status, with full time coaches delivering nearly 26 hours of

coaching, in comparison to 4 hours with volunteer coaches and 10 hours with part time

coaches (Table 7.5). Full time coaches, as expected, spent more time across all coaching

related activities in comparison to their volunteer and part time coaching counterparts.

In terms of delivery time, part time and full time coaches appear to have increased the

29

amount of time they spend on a weekly basis coaching, by just over two hours in the

case of part time coaches and almost 4 hours in the case of full time coaches. With

regards to preparation, a slight decrease in the amount of time allocated was noted

across volunteers and full time coaches though part time coaches increased their

preparation time from Year One to Year Three. Both volunteer and part time coaches

increased the time dedicated to reviewing their coaching while full time coaches have

decreased reviewing time from Year One to Year Three.

Table 7.5 Weekly breakdown of coaching related hours by Employment Type

Coaching

Activity

Volunteer Part Time Full Time

Year One Year Three

Year One Year Three

Year One Year Three

Preparation 1.7 1.5 2.7 3.5 5.6 4.9

Delivery 3.9 4.0 7.6 9.7 21.8 25.7

Review 1.2 1.3 1.5 2.6 3.6 3.0

Coach Related

Administration 1.8 1.7 2.6 3.8 7.4 5.6

Other 2.3 --- 3.4 --- 8.2 ---

Travel --- 1.8 --- 3.8 --- 7.4

CPD --- 1.4 --- 2.9 --- 2.9

Total hours 10.9 11.7 17.8 26.3 46.6 49.5

Base: All coaches Note: The question options differed from Year One to Year Three. The “Other” option was only posed in Year One, whereas the options for “Travel” and “CPD” were posed in Year Two and Year Three.

Coaching Pay

The study also provides information on coaches‟ pay. The results suggest that the

average coaching salary for paid coaches (both part time and full-time combined) is

currently £20,087 per year, indicating a significant increase of 12% from Year One

(Table 7.6). Part time coaches‟ annual salary reflects this overall increase, with salaries

rising to just under £7,000 per annum, whereas full time coaches have had a 9%

increase to £23,676. This supports other evidence2, which suggests that the majority of

paid coaching positions are currently between £17,000 and £28,000 per annum

(depending on location, qualifications, and other specific job requirements).

Table 7.6

Coaching Pay in Year Three

Part Time Full Time

Year One Year Three Year One Year Three

Paid Sessions per week

4.4 4.9 18.3 23.7

Average pay per

session £21.77 £23.17 £24.46 £27.33

Average annual salary

£5,562 £6,902 £21,621 £23,676

Base: All paid coaches

When considering pay on a sessional basis, results suggest that the average pay per

session has increased by 6% from Year One, rising from £22.43 to £23.94 per session.

This increase is reflected in the 6% rise in pay per session for part time coaches rising to

2 - http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/sports_coach_instructor_salary.jsp

30

over £23, and the 11% increase in pay per session for full time coaches rising to over

£27.

Although coaches working with young people and adults (17+) receive payment for

fewer sessions per week than coaches working with under 16‟s (8.3 versus 8.7), they

receive higher average pay per session (£30.85 versus £22.28) and a higher average

annual salary (£21,282 versus £18,373). This could reflect the higher level of

qualifications among coaches working with adults (Table 6.6).

Table 7.7

Coaching Pay in Year Three by Age Group Coached

All Paid Coaches Coaches working with

children under 16 years old

Coaches working with young people and

adults (17+)

Paid Sessions per week

8.9 8.7 8.3

Average pay per session

£23.94 £22.28 £30.85

Average annual salary

£20,087 £18,373 £21,282

Base: All paid coaches

Further investigation into coaching pay, in relation to participant groups coached, reveals

that coaches working with high performance participants (international) command a

higher rate of pay both on a sessional (£37.57) and an annual basis (£26,718) although

those working on a national level are paid for the most sessions per week (13.8).

Table 7.8

Coaching Pay in Year Three by Highest Participant Level Coached

Paid sessions per

week Average Pay per

Session Average Annual Salary

All Coaches 8.9 £23.94 £20,087

Beginners 7.1 £33.50 £15,138

Improvers 8.3 £17.03 £17,051

Club 6.9 £20.95 £14,411

County 9.4 £22.65 £20,488

Regional 7.2 £25.42 £15,655

National 13.8 £23.83 £20,198

International 11.5 £37.57 £26,718

Base: All paid coaches

31

8. Next 12 months

Of those coaches who remained active in the sample, the majority appeared to have

made accurate predictions regarding the amount of coaching they expected to do in Year

Three (Table 8.1). On average, coaches in Year Two who expected their coaching to

increase ended up coaching one hour a week more in Year Three. Similarly, coaches who

in Year Two expected their coaching to decrease were, in Year Three, coaching on

average three hours a week less.

However, coaches who did not expect a change in the amount of coaching they were

doing actually experienced a decrease in 1.3 hours a week of coaching delivery. This

compares with the previous year when those expecting no change witnessed an increase

of 42 minutes.

Table 8.1

Expectations of amount of coaching in the next 12 months

Year Two expectations for coaching in the next 12 months

Weekly average number of hours delivering coaching

Year Two Year Three

More 9.2 10.4

Same 10.2 8.9

Less 8.5 5.4

Base: All coaches

Looking forward to Year Four, the majority of coaches (65%) expected their levels of

coaching to remain the same. However, there was a notable decrease in the amount of

coaches expecting an increase in their level of coaching in the forthcoming 12 months

(Table 8.2). At the end of the project it will be interesting to investigate how much coach

expectations of the following year can be viewed as a barometer of future activity.

Table 8.2 Expectations of Amount of Coaching in the Next 12 Months

Percentage

Year Three

More Same Less Total

Gender Year

Two

Year

Three

Year

Two

Year

Three

Year

Two

Year

Three

Men 35 28 60 66 5 6 100

Women 37 24 56 63 7 13 100

Employment Type

Voluntary 35 29 60 61 5 10 100

Paid Part time 39 26 53 68 7 6 100

Paid Full time 30 24 69 67 1 8 100

Total 36 27 59 65 5 8 100

When asked to indicate whether they intended to stop coaching within the next year, 4%

of coaches indicated that they intended to do so (Table 8.3), a figure up by 2% from

Year Two. Notably, there was a 5% increase in the number of female coaches indicating

an intention to stop coaching. In comparison, there was only a 1% increase in the

number of male coaches who expressed the same intention. With regards to

employment type Year Three results show an increase of 1% of voluntary and part time

coaches intending to stop coaching whereas there is an increase of 3% in the number of

full time coaches who intend to stop coaching.

32

Table 8.3

Intention to stop coaching in the next 12 months

Percentage

Yes No Total

Gender Year Two

Year

Three Year Two Year Three

Men 2 3 98 97 100

Women 1 6 99 94 100

Employment Type

Voluntary 2 3 98 97 100

Paid Part time 3 4 97 96 100

Paid Full time 1 4 99 96 100

Total 2 4 98 96 100

Those coaches who indicated an intention to stop coaching over the next 12-months

were asked to provide information on their reasons (Table 8.4). The most cited reasons

referred to changes in personal circumstances along with structural issues within their

sport, such as a lack of support from the organisations in which they coached and limited

career development opportunities.

Table 8.4

Reasons for intending to stop coaching

Reasons given Times mentioned

Personal reasons (e.g., maternity, travel, health) 8

Lack of support from organisation (e.g., club, GB, CSP) 7

Lack of available paid opportunities to coach 6

To pursue a full time career in sport but not coaching 1

33

9. Exit from coaching

Due to the longitudinal nature of the research design, it was anticipated that a certain

level of attrition would occur in the sample from year to year. As part of the project, we

encouraged coaches, who have stopped coaching, to let us know the motivation behind

their decision to do so. Of the 585 coaches that returned their questionnaire in Year

Three, a total of 36 (6%) stated that they had given up coaching since they last took

part in this project.

Interestingly, of those that stopped coaching, only 14% had originally said they intended

to do so (Table 9.1). In other words, eight out of ten coaches who stopped coaching did

not intend to do so. In comparison to coaches that remained active only 2% indicated in

Year Two that they intended to stop, but actually continued to coach in Year 3. Taken

together, these results suggest that though stopping coaching may often be a short-term

decision, coaches with an expressed commitment to it are far less likely to stop.

Therefore it is crucial that further investigations seek to understand what drives a coach

to stop, including the contributing factors and, indeed, the interplay between them.

Table 9.1 Intention to stop coaching in the next 12 months Comparison between active and lapsed coaches

Lapsed Coaches Active Coaches

Number % Number %

Yes 5 14 11 2

No 31 86 560 98

Total 36 100 571 100

Base: Lapsed coaches: all coaches who have stopped coaching since Year Two compared against all coaches who continued to coach Active coaches: all coached still coaching

In order to gain a better understanding of the motivation driving lapsed coaches‟

decision to stop coaching, a profile of them is presented below. It appears that males

(53%) and females (47%) were similarly likely to stop coaching. The data suggests that

older coaches were more likely to give up coaching, with almost half of the coaches

(47%) being 45 years or older. This contrasts with figures for Year Two were younger

coaches (15-24) were more likely to give up. This is an area that will require further

investigation in Year Four and at the end of the project.

34

Table 9.2 Coaches who have stopped coaching

By Gender, Age and Parental Role

N= %

Gender

Male 19 53

Female 17 47

Age

15-24 years 5 14

25-34 years 9 25

35-44 years 5 14

45-54 years 15 42

55+ 2 5

Average age 41

Parents

Yes 16 46

No 19 54

Total 36 100

Base: All coaches who have stopped coaching since Year Two and returned the Year Three questionnaire

Coaches with lower qualification levels were more likely to have exited coaching (Table

9.3). Half of all coaches exiting the profession were Level 2 or lower (53%). This

continues a trend first shown in Year Two suggesting higher levels of qualification may

play a significant role in coach retention.

Table 9.3

Highest Level Coaching Qualification held Comparison between active and lapsed coaches

Lapsed Coaches Active Coaches

N= % N= %

Level 1 5 15 96 18

Level 2 13 38 181 33

Level 3 12 35 165 30

Level 4 4 12 77 14

Level 5 -- -- 23 4

Total 34 100 542 100

Base: Lapsed coaches: all coaches who have stopped coaching since Year Two compared against all coaches who continued to coach

Active coaches: all coached still coaching

Earlier in the report, issues with a lack of support from coaching organisations was

highlighted with regards to coaches‟ personal and career development in coaching (see

section 6 on Coach Development). Data collected with regards to coaches giving up

coaching however, indicates that „support‟ was not a contributing factor in them

stopping. In fact Table 9.4 suggests that coaches still engaged in coaching received very

similar levels of support from coaching organisations, in comparison to coaches that had

stopped.

35

Table 9.4 Rating of Overall Support Received From Coaching Organisations

Comparison between active and lapsed coaches

Supported Supported

a little

Not at all supported

Not relevant (support not

needed)

Total

% % % % N= %

Lapsed

Coaches 27 36 33 3 33 100

Active Coaches

25 41 29 5 558 100

Base: Lapsed coaches: all coaches who have stopped coaching since Year Two compared against

all coaches who continued to coach Active Coaches: all coaches still coaching

A comparison between active and lapsed coaches in terms of their employment type

further strengthens the claim that a commitment to coaching is less likely to result in

giving up. Nearly half of all coaches that gave up coaching were volunteers, whereas

only one out of seven lapsed coaches was full time.

Table 9.5 Comparison of Lapsed and Active Coaches by Employment Type

Lapsed Coaches Active Coaches

Number % Number %

Voluntary 16 44 255 44

Paid Part time 15 42 254 44

Paid Full time 5 14 71 12

Total 36 100 580 100

Base: Lapsed coaches: all coaches who have stopped coaching since Year Two compared against all coaches who continued to coach

Active coaches: all coached still coaching

Coaches that stopped coaching in the last 12 months were asked to provide additional

information on why they stopped coaching, and though further research is needed, the

data provide an insight into the factors at play. The results suggest that 69% of the

reasons cited for giving up coaching are related to personal circumstances (Table 9.6),

with the most frequently cited reason being changes in work (33%). Coaches explained

that redundancy or increased demands from work infringed on their capacity to continue

coaching. Changes to their education provision, such as the coaching element of

university modules, and exams, was also an important factor for giving up coaching.

Changes in family situation, such as having a baby, or changes in children‟s participation

in sport were also highlighted as important (20%).

Table 9.6 Reasons given for stopping coaching

Number of raw data % Total raw data

Personal-related 69%

Work 13 33

Education 3 8

Family 8 20

Lack of time 1 3

Health 2 5

System-

related 34%

Lack of Support 7 18

Lack of Opportunities 5 13

Confrontation with parent 1 3

Total 40 100

Base: All Lapsed Coaches

36

Although the majority of coaches‟ gave up coaching for personal reasons, one third

(34%) gave up due to issues surrounding the coaching system, such as lack of support

and lack of opportunities (Table 9.6). It is therefore crucial that these issues are

explored further, and addressed as a matter of importance, as it is primarily over those

issues that coaching organisations can have the greatest impact.

37

10.0 Commentary

In the Year Two report (Timson-Katchis and North, 2010) a number of emerging trends

were identified and in general, these have been supported by the Year Three evidence.

These are updated below along with some additional points to emerge in Year Three.

Key Trends

Reasons for staying in coaching appear more intrinsically motivated (e.g. enjoying

working with athletes) than reasons for beginning coaching (which are more related

to pay and career).

There is some evidence that coaches engage in sports coach „sampling‟ early in their

coaching careers before specialising and investing in one or a small number of sports.

As coaches develop there is evidence that their learning and development profile

changes. For example, there was more evidence of coaches using books/magazines

and on-line approaches and less use of formal opportunities such as qualifications;

although there use of workshops actually increased.

Coaches value a wide range of knowledge and information types in facilitating their

development. Although they are most likely to seek information on technical and

tactical aspects of coaching, they also value information of pedagogical aspects such

as listening skills, responsiveness and motivation.

Perceived benefits of undertaking a new coaching qualification include networking,

sharing ideas and taking your coaching to the next level. Unfortunately there has

been a decrease in coaches‟ belief that new qualifications will improve coaching

practice and less than a quarter believe qualifications will provide them with greater

access to new coaching opportunities.

Problems associated with undertaking a new coaching qualification include the

prohibitive cost of courses and the difficulty in accessing courses because of their

location. A new issue to emerge in Year Three was that coaches felt new

qualifications took too long to complete.

There is evidence that formal intensive support to coaches has decreased since the

Year One survey. Generally, it would seem that coaches feel „unsupported‟ by the

system and that this feeling has increased further into Year Three.

The proportion of paid coaching has remained very similar across the three years.

The increase in part-time coaches has been counter-balanced by the decrease in the

number of paid full-time coaches.

There are mixed signals with regards to coaches‟ pay – on balance the evidence

suggests that pay may have increased slightly between Year Two and Year Three.

The margins of error are too large to say whether the changes are above/below wage

inflation.

There appears to be a turnover of at least 10% per year in the coaching population

with national figures suggesting a greater number are coming into coaching, than

leaving. This suggests a large proportion of coaches with a low level of coaching

experience are undertaking coaching sessions.

38

Additional points to emerge in Year Three

Although cost is a recurring problem associated with coaching qualifications by Year

Three a greater number of coaches appear aware of possible funding options.

There has been a notable decrease in the number of coaches expecting to do more

coaching in Year Four. It will be interesting to see if this is reflected in the Year Four

data.

Older coaches were more likely to give up coaching in Year Three compared to the

Year Two data when those aged 15-24 were most likely to stop coaching. This will

need more analysis in Year Four to discern if any trend exists.

39

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