Chris Lynch, Boston Youth Sports Coordinator, Boston After School & Beyond
Training Volunteer Coaches: It's All About Resources
Youth sports organizations have the potential to change the lives of children and young people for the better. Much of this potential lies in the work of the coach. Youth sports coaches-many of them volunteers-need training and support to maximize the benefits of their sport for the young people in their care.
Volunteer coaches are the mainstay of most youth sports organizations. Yet because youth sports organizations rely heavily on volunteers, the development of coaching skills and knowledge necessary to create a safe and positive experience for players are often lacking.
Concerned about the lack of coach preparation, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) published a report outlining the 37 standards for Athletic Coaches. These standards are only goals for coach education - not requirements. Youth sports organizations do want their volunteer coaches to be prepared. However, there are two key hurdles: First, there is the very real issue of affordability. Whether time or resources, volunteers often can't afford the time-intensive workshops, trainings and costs associated with this training. Second, youth sports organizations often do not have in place the protocols and practices needed to effectively train and support them.
What can be done?
Youth sports organizations need economical and time-saving ways to provide basic training and consistent follow-up for coaches. To save time and maximize effectiveness, youth sports organizations need ways of delivering coach training that focuses on their particular needs and values. As important, youth sports organizations need to find ways that will make training sustainable within their organizations, so that each year new coaches receive comparable training and support.
Infusing coach training into volunteer organizations is difficult: Written materials, such as coaching manuals, are difficult to create and often not read. It is easy to point to a lack of time. However the physical and social nature of coaching a sport may be more relevant: volunteer youth sports coaches may learn best from experience and direct feedback, and not from reading or lectures. Coach training that involves skillful support in a one-on-one situation, where an organization-based staff member can observe and provide feedback, are the key.
Using the train-the-trainer model, the Institute of Athletic Coach Education at Boston University (BUIACE) is piloting a coach training program with the goal of building organizational infrastructure and ensuring 'coaching' continuity. Currently working with MetroLacrosse and GROW Boston, BUIACE is looking to develop sustainable coach education by working with staff within both of these organizations who will be responsible for training their organization's volunteer coaches. In-house trainers will develop coaching tools including practice plans to help all of the coaches to understand to 'how' and 'why' of the day-to-day work of coaching.
By piloting with MetroLacrosse and GROW and expanding the pilot to additional organizations, BUIACE is also learning more about how such organizations can respond to the process of focusing on training coaches to enhance youth development. The goal is to have this model available to a wider range of youth sports organizations.