The Coaching Panel. A review of coaches and coaching in 2014

The Coaching Panel A review of coaches and coaching in 2014 1

Headlines Coaches and coaching The core of the coaching workforce comes from the 35-55 age group but it is kept alive by a steady stream of younger recruits, especially those aged 16-19. However the evidence suggests this stream of recruits may be in decline. Coaching remains unrepresentative of the sporting or general population. It is a predominantly male, white, non-disabled activity. Sports clubs are at the heart of coaching activity and provide the location for 37% of coaching sessions almost double that of the any other location. 70% of all coaching session take place in clubs, schools and leisure centres. Coach Development 76% of coaches have undertaken some form of continuing personal development in the last 12 months. Learning from their current coaching practice is the most popular way for coaches to develop. The impact of different forms of learning varies between those that make a significant impact (talking to and observing others, reflection, mentoring and Higher Education courses) and those that make a short term impact (online learning, social media, the Internet, conferences, and reading). Coaches are split on the value of technology to coach development. Opinions are equally divided between those who think it makes no impact, a little impact or a significant impact. The level of qualification a coach holds will often determine the type of information they will seek in the future. Coach support and the future 79% of coaches feel supported by their governing body or other coaching organisation. However more than half of these coaches are closer to feeling unsupported than supported. Three changes that would mean the most the coaches in terms of the support they receive are: improved access to coaching knowledge through resources and events; more mentoring; help to address the cost of development. Coaches are optimistic about the future and 41% intend to do more coaching in the future. Only 7% expect to do less. 2

1 What is the Coaching Panel? Understanding coaches and their needs provides essential evidence for developing excellent coaching systems. The Coaching Panel is part of this evidence base in that it sets out to develop an overall picture of coaching in 2014. At the start of the year we surveyed 1,200 coaches with questions about: Who are they? What they are trying to achieve with their coaching? What does a typical coaching session look like? What qualifications do they have? How do they develop as coaches? How supported do they feel? What are their future plans? These coaches are at the heart of the coaching system. They represent the coaches and head coaches who turn up week-in week-out and without whom sport as we know it would cease to exist. As such their views count. We also know from other research that a wider coaching population exists that includes: activators; those engaged in less formal coaching; gym instructors; teachers; and coaches who prefer to remain outside the influence of governing bodies of sport. For the purpose of this research when we refer to coaches and the Coaching Panel we are referring to those coaches at the heart of the system. Where differences between these and the wider coaching population are relevant they are discussed in the report. 3

% of total 2 Coach demographics The three graphs below demonstrate how coaching remains an activity associated more with certain groups within society. 72% of coaches were male, 92% were non-disabled and 95% were white. These statistics have remained relatively unchanged in the last six years (when compared to the Coach Tracking Study of 2008 1 ). Figure 1: The demographics of coaching 28.0 % 8% 5% 72.0 % 92% 95% Male Female Non disabled Disabled white non-white 2.1 Age coaches start coaching A quarter of coaches started coaching while still teenagers. Two other peak entry stages are 20-24 and 35-39. Those aged 25-35 are less likely to start coaching, as are those aged over 45. Compared to 2008 1 there has been a drift away from the early entry age for coaches. In 2008 50% of coaches started in the age group 16-24 compared to 40% in 2014. Figure 2: Age at which coaches start coaching 30.0 25.0 25.4% 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 14.9% 9.0% 10.7% 14.4% 12.6% 7.1% 4.4% 0.0 16-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 1.5% 1 sports coach UK (2008) Coach Tracking Study: Year One Headline Report http://www.sportscoachuk.org/resource/uk-coach-tracking-study-year-one-headline-report 4

% of total The 16-19 age group is particularly important entry stage for female coaches as they account for 33% of coaches starting at that age (compared to the national coaching average of 28%). The 25-29 age group was the only other group with female representation above the coaching average (albeit only 1% above). The age group with the smallest proportion of new female coaches is 30-34 years old. 2.2 Age of coaches The average age of coaches was 46 with coaching experience of around 13-16 years. Generally the profile of the coaching workforce is towards late-30s to mid-50 s. Figure 3: Age of coaches 30 28% 25 23% 20 15 16% 18% 10 5 10% 6% 0 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Combining the coaching age and starting age data presents a picture of coaching as an activity predominantly undertaken by older age groups but kept alive by a steady stream of younger recruits. The decrease in the percentage of coaches starting at a young age should be viewed as an issue that needs addressing as this group represents the experienced coaches of the future. 2.3 Employment status Coaching remains a predominantly volunteer activity as only 8% of respondents were full-time paid coaches. 67% of coaches were volunteers and 24% were paid part time. Among volunteers coaches there is also a mix of those who receive money for some of the coaching they do but also act as volunteer coaches in other areas. 2.4 Coaching objectives Coaches were asked to rate how important a series of objectives were to their coaching. From this a strong picture emerged of what people want to coach. Coaches were practically unanimous in their desire to provide fun but at the same time to improve the individual or team. Coaches were more divided around competitive objectives. 71% of coaches rated achieving competitive success as important while only 50% of coaches rated beating others as an important objective (and only 8% rated it as very important). These differences were related to the type of participant and age. 5

Not surprisingly coaches working with beginner and recreational participants placed less emphasis on competitive objectives. Similarly as the age of the participant increases so the emphasis on competitive objectives increases. Table 1: Importance of different coaching objectives to a coach % rating it as Coaching objective important Provide fun/enjoyment for the athletes/players/participants 99% Improve the performance of the individual/team 99% Improve the technical and tactical skills of the athletes/players/participants 99% Improve the physical condition of the athletes/players/participants 95% Improve the life skills of athletes/players/participants 94% Provide an opportunity for the athletes/players/participants to socialise 87% Achieve competitive success 71% Beat other individuals/teams 50% 6

% of total 3 Coaching sessions It is difficult to state what constitutes a typical session as this is very much dependent on the sport but we are still able to give a general picture of coaching sessions in the UK. A total of 1,700 coaching sessions were analysed with key results shown below. Sports clubs are the most popular location for coaching to take place and account for 37% of coaching sessions. In total sports clubs, schools and leisure centres account for the location of over 70% of all coaching sessions. The lower percentage of coaching happening in youth clubs, gyms, community centres and public spaces may reflect the fact that his sample are predominantly coaches working within more organised sporting environments. Figure 4: percentage of coaching sessions taking place in each location 40.0 35.0 30.0 25.0 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 37.4% 19.6% 14.9% 61% of sessions were given to competitive participants - in other words those playing competitively with a club or at a more representative level (county, national etc). 22% of sessions were for beginners or improvers with 17% of sessions purely for recreation. 57% of sessions lasted between one and two hours and the average session involved two coaches and 20 participants (a ratio of one coach to every ten participants). The pie chart in figure 5 shows how 80% of session involved either one, two or three coaches. However the fact that 27% of sessions have only one coach does show how often a session is dependent on one individual. 7

Figure 5: Percentage of sessions by number of coaches present 2% 1% 2% 1 8% 4% 27% 2 3 4 5 20% 6 7 8 34% 9 10 Although 57% of sessions were between one and two hours the most common length of session was between 31 minutes to an hour. Figure 6: Length of coaching sessions 120+ mins 9% 91 to 120 mins 29% 61 to 90 mins 28% 31 to 60 mins 33% less than 30 mins 2% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 % of all sessions 8

4 Qualifications The qualifications profile of respondents shows that the coaches who took part in this research tended to be qualified to level 2 or above (81% of the total). This profile reflects the core coaching workforce as described at the start of this report. Figure 7: highest qualification held by coach 2% 25% 11% 16% 46% No qualification Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Just over half (52%) of coaches intend to take another qualification in the next twelve months. In general the lower the qualification held by the coach the more likely they are to take another qualification. Figure 8: Percentage of coaches intending to take another qualification in the next twelve months broken down by current qualification 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 78% No qualification 72% 53% 40% 41% Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above 9

5 Continuous Personal Development (CPD) 2 Overall 76% of coaches had undertaken CPD in the last twelve months. When a coach had undertaken any formal learning they used on average two different sources. With informal learning coaches used an average of four different sources. The most popular sources of learning were consistent with what previous research has told us. Coaches are most likely to use their own coaching practice for learning (eg talking to and observing other coaches and reflecting on sessions). Using the internet continues to increase in usage when compared to previous research (such as the Coach Tracking Study in 2011). Coaches are also twice as likely to use the Internet as social media as a source of learning. Table 2: Sources of learning used by coaches in the last twelve months (number and percentage of coaches) Source of learning n % Talking to other coaches 1083 87% Observing/working with other coaches 1055 85% Reflecting on coaching sessions 986 79% Searching/using the Internet 890 71% Coaching workshops 828 66% Reading books, watching DVDs etc 812 65% Coaching conferences 531 43% Mentoring 508 41% Social Media (Twitter, Facebook linkedin) 420 34% Online learning courses 391 31% FE/HE Qualifications (related to coaching or sport) 196 16% Formal distance learning 88 7% 5.1 The impact of learning When coaches were asked what impact the learning had made on their coaching an interesting split develops between sources that make a significant impact and those that make a short term or little impact. Again sources related to coaching practice feature highly in terms of making a significant impact but the most impactful learning was a coaching/sport related university qualification. This is perhaps not surprising given that it would be a long-term focussed piece of learning. However an interesting piece of follow up research would be to examine if there are methods used in Higher Education that would be useful to apply in other coach development contexts. At the other end of the scale online learning, social media and the Internet are less likely to make a significant impact. Indeed coaches were quite evenly split between those who thought it made little impact, short term impact or significant impact. This suggests these relatively new forms of learning work for some coaches but not for others. There is 2 For the purpose of this research continuous personal development (CPD) is defined as either a formal piece of learning (an organised and structured presentation of learning to a coach) or more non-formal/informal learning (mentoring, talking to other coaches, searching the internet) that is sustained over time and makes an impact on coaching. 10

no evidence to suggest that this preference is based on the age of the coach and again this backs up previous research that age is not a factor when considering the use of technology in coaching 3. Table 3: The impact of sources of learning used by coaches in the last twelve months None at all It made a short term impact It made a significant impact Source of learning A little FE/HE Qualifications (related to coaching or sport) 3% 14% 15% 68% Observing/working with other coaches 1% 13% 20% 66% Talking to other coaches 0% 14% 23% 62% Reflecting on coaching sessions 0% 11% 27% 62% Mentoring 0% 17% 23% 60% Formal distance learning 6% 22% 19% 53% Coaching workshops 1% 23% 26% 50% Reading books, watching DVDs etc 1% 21% 32% 46% Coaching conferences 2% 24% 34% 40% Searching/using the Internet 2% 29% 36% 34% Social Media (Twitter, Facebook linkedin) 6% 30% 37% 27% Online learning courses 5% 33% 38% 25% 3 sports coach UK (2012) The Appetite for Online Coach Education: Now and in the Future http://www.sportscoachuk.org/resource/appetite-online-coach-education-now-and-future 11

5.2 Information sought by coaches Technical and tactical information is most often sought by coaches with 82% stating that this is what they look for. Planning sessions was the only other type of information that was sought by over three-quarters of respondents. Information that is less likely to be sought includes facilitation, decision making and managing the coaching environment. All of these were sought by less than half of respondents. Table 4: Information sought by coaches in the last twelve months (number and Percentage) Information sought n % Technical/tactical knowledge 973 82.2% Planning Sessions: structure, format, content 789 74.9% Motivating athletes 803 72.5% Providing feedback 802 72.4% Listening 751 67.8% Evaluating sessions/programmes 711 67.5% Observation and analysis 792 66.9% Self reflection and critical thinking 724 61.1% Providing instruction 673 60.7% Understanding/evaluating athlete/player development 705 59.5% Knowledge of a wide range of coaching methods 700 59.1% Planning programmes (over a season, year, cycle) 618 58.7% Organisation of sessions (e.g. facilities, equipment, health and safety) 616 58.5% Questioning 644 58.1% Responsiveness/adaptability to situation/person 598 54.0% Managing the coaching environment 579 48.9% Decision Making 538 45.4% Facilitation 452 40.8% Looking at information sought be different levels of qualification shows how the information needs of coaches change with time and experience. Unqualified and level 1 coaches are more likely to look for information on planning, organising, instructing and listening (the basics of coaching) but less likely to look for information on evaluating, reflecting and questioning. They are also less interested in athlete development, long term planning or widening the range of their coaching methods. Level 2 coaches tended to fall into a middle ground between lower and higher qualifications with the main differences that they are more likely to look for instruction and feedback ideas but less likely to look for reflection or facilitation skills. Level 3 and 4 coaches are often the mirror image of their less qualified contemporaries and therefore less likely to look for planning and organising skills and more likely to look for information on reflection, athlete development and longer term planning. Considering how popular self-reflection is with coaches (79% stated that they use this) it is unusual that only those qualified to Level 3 or above are likely to look for this type of information. 12

Table 5: Types of information sought by level of coaching qualification Level of qualification Non qualifications More likely to look for information on Organisation of sessions (e.g. facilities, equipment, health and safety) Listening Observation and analysis Decision Making Level 1 Organisation of sessions (e.g. facilities, equipment, health and safety) Listening Planning Sessions: structure, format, content Providing instruction Level 2 Providing instruction Providing feedback Level 3 Self reflection and critical thinking Understanding/evaluating athlete/player development Planning programmes (over a season, year, cycle) Questioning Level 4 Self reflection and critical thinking Knowledge of a wide range of coaching methods Managing the coaching environment Less likely to look for information on Evaluating sessions/programmes Self reflection and critical thinking Understanding/evaluating athlete/player development Knowledge of a wide range of coaching methods Questioning Responsiveness/adaptability to situation/person Evaluating sessions/programmes Self-reflection and critical thinking Understanding/evaluating athlete/player development Knowledge of a wide range of coaching methods Questioning Planning programmes (over a season, year, cycle) Facilitation Self reflection and critical thinking Facilitation Organisation of sessions (e.g. facilities, equipment, health and safety) Planning Sessions: structure, format, content Listening Providing instruction Organisation of sessions (e.g. facilities, equipment, health and safety) Planning Sessions: structure, format, content Listening Providing instruction Providing feedback Observation and analysis Decision Making Of course a coaches development does not follow a linear pathway of qualifications matching experience. There are many coaches who are considered experienced and expert who may have chosen to only gain a level 2 qualification. Therefore these results should only be viewed as indicative of how the information sought by coaches can change over time. To provide a fuller picture you also need to look at experiences and motivations of a coach. Research on this will be published by sports coach UK in 2014. 13

% feeling supported 6 How supported do coaches feel? Overall 79% of coaches feel supported by their governing body or other agencies such as sports coach UK and Home Country Sports Councils. However an important consideration is that over half of these coaches who felt supported only rated the level of support as a little. As such they could be said to be in a borderline position that could quickly become a feeling of not being supported. Addressing this 57% sitting on the borderline is critical to maintaining the overall feeling of support. Overall feelings of support decline in line with the qualification level of the coach. 72% of level 4 coaches felt supported compared to 81% of level 1 coaches. Comments from more qualified coaches support this Whilst there is a lot of support for young and less experienced coaches, coaches who have been around a long time and gained their coaching qualifications tend to be forgotten. Lack of encouragement to develop past level 2 coach. The cost would put most level 2 coaches off however, there is not enough funding available to cover all of the cost to attend! Figure 9: overall feelings of support by coach qualification 82.0 80.0 81.2% 80.3% 78.0 78.1% 76.0 74.0 72.0 72.4% 70.0 68.0 66.0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above 14

Areas that coaches feel least supported with are: help with career opportunities; finding appropriate opportunities to coach; and help with the cost of development opportunities. Table 6: Feelings of support around coach development Very well supported Supported Supported a little Not supported at all Identifying your development needs 9.4 25.4 33.7 31.5 68.5 Knowing the next steps for your coaching 9.7 27.2 33.9 29.2 70.8 Identifying development opportunities 10.3 26.7 34.7 28.4 71.6 Help with the cost of development opportunities 7.7 16.9 25.5 49.9 50.1 Help with finding appropriate opportunities to coach 9.5 20.5 27.9 42.1 57.9 Help with career opportunities in coaching 6.6 13.5 27.0 53.0 47.0 Overall support 7.3 26.9 44.6 21.2 78.8 Overall supported When coaches were asked what Governing Bodies could do better to make them feel more supported three key areas emerged: Coaches wanted access to more coaching knowledge. For some this meant greater use of technology (more resources online or a system to allow coaches to discuss ideas) while others were more interested in face-to-face contact (conferences, local events or workshops to provide new knowledge and networking opportunities). Gaining access to a mentor or some sort of support from a more experienced coach was one of the most popular suggestions to improve support. The cost of coaching qualifications and CPD remains an issue with many coaches and suggestions revolved around cheaper qualifications, more funding and/or better information about to access funding. 15

7 Future coaching and stopping coaching Overall future coaching activity looks positive with 41% of respondents stating that they intend do more coaching in the next twelve months and only 7% intending to do less. Overall this suggests a Net Future Activity Score 4 of 34% of coaches intending to do more. This score is a useful gauge of coach optimism about the future. Figure 10: Percentage of coaches intending to do more, less or the same coaching in the next twelve months 7% 41% 52% More About the same Less A small percentage of coaches (4%) stated that they intend to stop coaching this year. The reasons for this were split between personal reasons (44%) and more system related reasons (56%). It is important to remember when considering these figures that the survey question asked about future intentions. We know from previous research that the reasons to stop coaching are often unexpected and these figures underestimate both the amount of coaches who stop and the proportion of personal related reasons for stopping. However these figures provide an interesting insight into the thought process of coaches who plan to stop. With personal reasons the most likely causes of a planned exit from coaching are family reasons and in particular wanting to spend more time with family and children. Two typical comments from coaches emphasise this point. Need to get some family life back I want to take time to see my own children play sport A lack of support was the most common system related reason for a planned exit from coaching but one of the most interesting points that emerged from this research was the number of coaches using the word disillusioned. This is not a word that has come up when this question was asked previously (albeit retrospectively) and hints at two 4 Net Future Activity Score is a simple way to measure overall confidence about future coaching. The percentage of coaches expecting to do less coaching is subtracted from the percentage of coaches expecting to do more coaching. 16

possible reasons. Feelings of disillusionment may be a first stage in thinking about quitting but when asked after the event coaches tend to state a different reason; or coaches in general may be feeling more disillusioned. This is an area we intend to follow up over time. Table 7: Reasons given by coaches who intend to stop coaching in the next year. Personal reasons % Work 10% Family 16% Lack of time 8% Health 10% System related reasons Lack of support 20% Lack of opportunities 10% Money/costs 8% Disillusioned 10% Issues within the club 8% These results emphasise how important it is to listen to coaches, understand their issues, and act upon them. For example if a you know that a coach wants to spend more time with their family it may be possible to reduce their coaching workload rather than lose an experienced coach altogether. Similarly if feelings of disillusionment are the beginnings of a decision to quit then addressing the issues at the heart of this problem may lead to a coach changing their mind and remaining in the sport. Comments from coaches also show a strong desire to be listened to and two comments are a fitting way to end this report: Find a way to engage with coaches as coaches can become isolated in programmes. And Care about coaches! 17