At this time of year it’s good to look back and think about what you’ve achieved. We put our heads together in Research and came up with 12 things we’ve learnt this year:
1. The quality of coaching is improving. In the last 10 years the percentage of participants who think that coaching improves their enjoyment of sport has increased from 53% to 81%.
2. The general public have a positive view of coaches.
3. Adults who are coached are less likely to stop playing sport than those who are not coached.
4. Young people who are coached display a stronger connection to sport – they are more likely to make up the time they miss playing by doing other sporting activities, and even more likely to do whatever they can to avoid missing playing.
5. Women do want to coach as long as the environment is right.
6. If you’re a fitness trainer physical appearance matters. If you’re a coach it’s your coaching that matters.
7. Formal coach education (qualifications and workshops) make a more significant impact on coaching practice than informal methods like searching the internet or social media.
8. A coach’s level of qualification will be influenced more by whether or not they paid rather than where they coach.
9. Coaching courses with an equal split of male and female coaches are the most enjoyable for all students.
10. Coaches can be broken down into 12 different types based on their motivations and attitudes to learning.
11. Since 2008 the number of coaches gaining a level 2 qualification has increased by 52%. Level 2 coaches on average do twice as much coaching as level 1 coaches and do more CPD.
12. People who play no sport at all say a coach would encourage them to get active.
