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As part of the Erasmus+ CoachForce21 project, all partners are pleased to publish the position statement “Professionalisation as a Process of Continuous Improvement in Sports Coaching in Europe”.
The statement is the result of two years of research, development and stakeholder consultation to understand the current sports coaching landscape in the European Union. It builds on the European Coaching Council’s 2011 statement and provides guidance for the period 2021–2030.
The main points are set out below. An extended statement and rationale document is available to download here.
Within the framework of the European Union Work Plan for Sport 2017–2021 and the Council of the European Union conclusions of November 2017 (Estonian Presidency) and June 2020 (Croatian Presidency), the CoachForce21 partners:
- Recognise that sports coaching plays an important and constantly evolving role for societies and individuals.
- Emphasise that organisations and individuals providing sports coaching services must safeguard the interests of the public and participants at all times and uphold the principles of safe and ethical sport.
- Call for the protection of sports coaches’ rights to education, development, support, appropriate recognition, and safe and ethical working conditions.
- Recommend that countries and national and international federations commit to a process of continuous improvement of their coaching systems, enabling a similar process of continuous improvement for individual coaches.
- Encourage national and international coaching organisations to develop appropriate professional standards to guide quality assurance and licensing systems.
- Recognise that all these recommendations are context-dependent and must be interpreted and implemented locally.
John Bales, President of the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE), said: “This is a very important document and a significant moment, particularly at a time when sports coaching has demonstrated its importance and relevance to society during the pandemic. The position statement draws attention to the need for continued investment in developing effective and efficient coaching systems that can meet the needs of participants and athletes, while highlighting the need to safeguard coaches’ rights and give them a voice in decision-making processes that affect them.”
CoachForce21 is a three-year Erasmus+ funded project launched in October 2018. It aims to strengthen coaches’ representation at national and European level by providing guidance and support to existing and developing coaches’ associations across the EU. The project will bring the Voice of the Coach to the forefront of social dialogue in sport to promote good governance in the sector.
CoachForce21 partners include Leeds Beckett University (UK), the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE), the Czech Olympic Committee, the Hungarian Coaches Association, the Portuguese Coaches Confederation, Trainerakademie Köln (Germany), the Polish Institute of Sport, the Finnish Professional Coaches Association, and the Hellenic Federation of Sports Coaches and Trainers (POPA, Greece).
