Selecting and developing elite sports coaches is a critical process that impacts the performance and success of sports teams and athletes. An effective selection and professional development process ensures that the best candidates are chosen and equipped with the skills necessary for continuous improvement. I'd go further and say that the optimal selection process should be deployed in some kind of basic format at all levels of coaching for a sport.

Establishing Clear Criteria and Competencies

The foundation of a robust selection process lies in defining clear criteria and competencies required for the role. This includes technical expertise, experience, leadership skills, communication abilities, and a strong understanding of sports science; Coates & Gilbert (2009) and Mallett & Lara-Bercial (2016).

What do we mean by competencies?

Coates & Gilbert place knowledge as the prime component of coaching competency. Their definition of knowledge includes coaches’ personal behaviors, experiences, and strategies to effectively improve outcomes . This means knowledge of both knowing and doing. Teaching models upon which most coaching approaches are based also propound that a coach’s work should trigger positive, transformative change in athlete outcomes. These include but are not restricted to personal attributes, such as self esteem and satisfaction; physical perfrmance optimisation, skill acquisition and personal growth. Athletes’ outcomes are recognised as a second component of coaching competence. This capability of a coach should mirror how they best accommodate and reflect the variations in athletes’attitudes, behaviors, or entry ability to be harnessed for individual and group improvement.

It's not necessarily ideal the coach has played at the highest levels. Professional and semi professional sport has shown repeatedly great players do not always make great coaches. Implementing the doing portion of knowledge can be easily done with the players themselves or invited specialists, along with streaming suitable content.

Finally, coaching competency must accommodate different contexts within which the group operates, with athletes who vary in terms of athlete age, developmental level, needs, and goals needing to be understood and evolved. In any group there will be a broad spread of personality types. Some organisations engage DISC profiling processes in recruiting and squad formation to assist coaches and players to hone an optimal approach to team formation and culture development. More recently, comprehensive course-based psychometric frameworks such as Lumina Spark may be worth considering as a means to better understand and leverage the spread of personality traits in any squad.

Any analysis of coaching curricula content at least in the Trans-Tasman hockey world will see a heavy focus on declarative knowledge domains: skills, structures, patterns, process and analysis all of which if you like form the scaffolding of a coaches competency framework. However, unless individuals have completed a formal tertiary degree in sports coaching or similar there is significant knowledge gap inherent in this material and its effective application. My professional view is all coaches at national league and higher level at all age groups from U-18 through to Masters should have such degree-qualified grounding. Of course this limits the field but you know what, I for one am fed up with seeing the insane amount of player turnover and loss from ignorance purveyed unintentionally by those given responsibility for player care and development.

A degree in coaching is not the be and all but guarantees a base level of knowledge , well in excess of what sporting bodies proffer. Incumbents can be encouraged to undertake Certificate level postgraduate training such as that offered by University of Canterbury (NZ) if a degree is impractical.

Intrapersonal knowledge

"know thyself" I am an avowed fam of stoicism and its underpinning of the self-dialogue, which becomes the vehicle for practicing philosophy and gaining self-knowledge. A fear I have for coaches is their sometime lack of self awareness compounded by a the lack of mental health support that has them floundering with an inability to adapt, accommodate and improve. The ancient philosopher Heraclitus knew that our own self-deception and conceited opinions keep us from seeing and learning from what is really going on in our daily experience. Seeking answers from external counsel seems lost on far too many coaches including those with national responsibilities.

The Stoics understood how comfortable we become in patterned behaviors and responses, and in the opinions we hold that justify them. They gave a two-fold prescription for practicing self-awareness, and surprisingly, it involved first being suspicious about our own perceptions and opinions of events until we test them, and secondly, taking an opposite approach with evaluating the behavior of others—being sympathetic before being suspicious.

How many coaches have you been involved with that have had the wherewithal to question their approaches?

Too often, the coach remains standing in an organisation, shuffled sideways or worse upwards whilst players and supporters vote with their feet.

Mentorship and Peer Learning

Implementing mentorship programs and peer learning opportunities allows less experienced coaches to learn from seasoned professionals and external specialists. This practice fosters a collaborative environment where knowledge and best practices are shared.

Structured Interview and Assessment Process for Coach Selection

A structured interview and assessment process helps to objectively evaluate candidates. This can include behavioral interviews, scenario-based questions, practical coaching demonstrations, and psychometric testing; Cushion and Partington (2016).

Any candidate selection should be contestable via an impartial third party complaints and mediation avenue.

Involvement of Multiple Stakeholders

Involving a diverse panel of stakeholders in the selection process, such as senior coaches, sports directors, athletes, and external experts, ensures a holistic and well rounded evaluation of candidates. This approach minimizes bias and brings different perspectives to the decision-making process; North (2009)

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Elite coaches require ongoing professional development to stay updated with the latest advancements in sports science, coaching methodologies, and athlete management. CPD programs should be tailored to the specific needs of the coach and the sport they are involved in. Too many coaches remain operating in a permanent holding pattern, not availing themselves of oppottunities to learn new methods, technologies or approaches. There is only so much a national body should be expected to do for its members. It is also encumbent upon service providers to the sector to identify and cultivate engagement with coaches so they are aware of the relevant new skills and knowledge available and how best to find and use them.

Performance Evaluation and Feedback

Regular performance evaluation and constructive feedback are essential for the continuous improvement of coaches. Performance metrics should be aligned with the team's objectives and individual development plans.

This feedback should align with the selection processes and involve the same stakeholders. If you are going to bring an individual into an organisation, be prepared to assess, support and improve them.

I’d add in the double-edged concept of market accountability and that punters who pay to watch matches for example such as Hockey One should have their (scrutinised and redacted) views on coach approach and performance at least tabled during feedback stages.

References

Cushion, C. J., & Partington, M. (2016). A critical analysis of the implementation of sports coaching as a profession in the UK: Challenges and solutions. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 11(4), 540-548.

Erickson, K., Bruner, M. W., MacDonald, D. J., & Côté, J. (2008). Gaining insight into actual and preferred sources of coaching knowledge. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 3(4), 527-538.

Gilbert, W., & Trudel, P. (2001). Learning to coach through experience: Reflection in model youth sport coaches. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 21(1), 16-34.

Lyle, J. (2002). Sports coaching concepts: A framework for coaches' behaviour. Routledge.

Nash, C., & Collins, D. (2006). Tacit knowledge in expert coaching: Science or art? Quest, 58(4), 465-477.

Jones, R. L., Harris, R., & Miles, A. (2009). Mentoring in sports coaching: A review of the literature. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 14(3), 267-284.

Nelson, L. J., Cushion, C. J., & Potrac, P. (2006). Formal, nonformal and informal coach learning: A holistic conceptualisation. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 1(3), 247-259.

McNamee, M., & Parry, S. J. (1998). Ethics and sport. Routledge.

North, J. (2009). The coaching workforce 2009-2016. Leeds Metropolitan University.

Penney, D. (2006). Coaching as teaching: New acknowledgements in practice. In R. L. Jones (Ed.), The sports coach as educator: Re-conceptualising sports coaching (pp. 25-36). Routledge.

Potrac, P., Jones, R. L., & Armour, K. M. (2002). "It’s All About Getting Respect": The Coaching Behaviors of an Expert English Soccer Coach. Sport, Education and Society, 7(2), 183-202.

Smith, R. E., & Smoll, F. L. (2007). Cognitive-behavioral coach training: A translational approach to theory, research, and intervention. The Sport Psychologist, 21(2), 209-235.