This illustration seeks to provide a real-life situation that many sports development officers experience. Now consider the following two questions. First, determine two advantages and two disadvantages of undertaking the role of the coach in this instance; and secondly, suggest one or two alternative solutions that the development officer could have explored to resolve the situation she found herself in. Although, as a DO, our graduate undoubtedly provided a good service to the club whilst thoroughly enjoying the coaching experience, we contend that filling the position indefinitely was in no-one’s long-term interests. This is not to say, however, that sport development officers should never be involved in coaching.
Indeed, in support of the work of Eady (1993) and Duffy (2006), we firmly believe that sports development workers and coaches have similarities, with both being considered agents of change. In this respect, both should seek to engage people in sport and physical activity, thus making a difference to people’s lives. The significant distinction between them, however, lies in the fundamental roles they should play. For example, a sports development worker effects change in several places at one time with several groups of participants. This involves the employment or deployment of coaches and seeks a shift in the behaviour of individuals in the community. On the other hand, a coach effects change in one place at a time with a single group or individual participant through the delivery of coaching sessions.
The National Occupation Standards (NOS) developed by Skills Active (2005) are helpful, as they clearly differentiate sports development from sports coaching in determining the competencies required to work in both sectors. Additionally, whereas coaching starts at NOS Level 1 and progresses to Level 5, sports development commences at Level 3 and progresses to Level 5. The fact that sports development only starts at Level 3 is important as it indicates that management competencies are needed to work in this profession.
Furthermore, not one of the sport development units at Level 3 focuses on the need to deliver sports sessions. Rather, the emphasis is on the need to recruit, select, motivate and retain colleagues and volunteers as coaches and other sport workers, alongside planning and managing projects and services. A focus for sports development practitioners, then, is the planning process in relation to assessing the need before building networks and co-ordinating successful implementation. Key to this are the recruitment, employment and deployment of coaches into a variety of surroundings.
Nesti (2001) identified the personal and psychological qualities possessed by many sports development workers as creativity, empathy, commitment, presence and authenticity.
Given sports development’s rather unique role to be proactive and interventionist, Nesti (2001: 210) suggested close links to counsellors, psychotherapists and educators. Similarly, there is an ongoing debate in coaching that suggests important shifts are occurring: from instruction to pedagogy and from a focus on the participant–performer divide to an emphasis on developing the individual (Jones 2006). Additionally, coaching is becoming increasingly recognised as ‘an inherently non-routine, problematic and complex endeavour’, particularly with regard to its complex leader–follower nature (Jones 2006:
3). Clearly, these two emerging professions have commonalities, and given the current agenda, if developed in a complementary and meaningful manner, could be instrumental in contributing to a new sporting landscape.
Recognising their complementary nature, it is important to examine how the concepts used in sports development can be used to support coaches in their practice. For example, for coaches to have a better conceptualisation of their evolving role, it would appear relevant for them to have a firm understanding of governmental agendas as related to increasing sport and physical activity opportunities in the UK over the next 20 years. Here, whilst there is some variation between the UK Home Countries, the overriding goal remains the same, i.e. to encourage greater participation, possibly by as much as 1 per cent per annum. This ambitious target will require sports development professionals and sports coaches to seek new participants – an agenda that focuses on getting existing participants to do more will be insufficient. For example, encouraging sport and physical activity to be undertaken at places of work, thus establishing employers as a priority partner for the future. Such initiatives will run parallel to the primary and secondary school participation programmes already being implemented. Sports development, thus, will have a key role in developing sustainable opportunities within local communities; in essence, providing opportunities for sports coaches to work or assisting coaches to develop such opportunities for themselves.
Sports coaches also need to determine their role within this wider agenda. Sports develop-ment will be seeking coaches to deliver sessions but, given that there will be new audiences, it is anticipated that the majority of sports coaching will not be primarily about improving performance to achieve game-related results. Hence, we believe there will be a need to look beyond a historic emphasis on coaching young people and performers and to consider the needs of the wider population. Coaches in the community will be required to deliver products that attract very different groups of people of all ages. The development menu of the future, then, needs to be varied, targeted and sustainable. Indeed, the UK Coaching Framework (Sports Coach UK 2006) establishes some clear expectations that coaches should address if interest in sport is to be engendered and sustained. These include welcoming children and adults into sport; making sport fun; building fundamental skills in participants; improving sport-specific skills; developing fair play; ethical practice;
discipline and respect; enhancing physical fitness and positive lifestyle; guiding children, players and athletes through the steps to improved performance; placing a high value on the development of the whole person; and keeping children, players and athletes safe in sport. Such directives hold the potential to give coaches a clear future focus in relation to where they should concentrate their energies.
CONCLUSION
Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the sectors of sports development and coaching have received unprecedented levels of attention and investment from central and devolved government. Sport is now recognised as a tool that can assist in partially delivering the related governmental social agenda. Education and training for sports development professionals has been seen as a priority in official policy documents such as Sporting Future for All (DCMS 2000), while the recent launch of a new professional body, the Institute of Sport, Parks and Leisure (ISPAL) has signalled a step-change in improving the
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stature and profile of its members. Similarly, Game Plan (DCMS/ Strategy Unit 2002) sets out some key objectives and these have been supported by subsequent UK Home Country policy strategies. Coaching has emerged as one of the priorities and Sports Coach UK has been tasked with developing and implementing the UKCC and the UK Coaching Frame-work. No doubt sports development and sports coaching are emerging professions. Set within an overall policy context of increasing participation it is important that their roles remain complementary but distinct. Each comes with its own challenges but shares the need to remain people-centred and people-focused as change agents within the sports industry. Knowledge of the sport development context and how it shapes coaching policy is undoubtedly important for coaches, as it enables them to carefully consider their role as they respond to the wider developmental and social agenda.
1. Who enables you to participate in sport?
2. Write a job description for a Sports Development Officer. Rank the duties in order of importance. Justify your answer.
3. How has the governmental policy impacted on the development of coaching in the UK?
4. The chapter’s authors argue that sport development officers and coaches should carry out largely separate, complementary roles. Do you agree? Why?