Coach education – a developing international discipline of knowledge

The purpose of this study is to identify and understand the processes involved in the development of the coaching field in general and to explore sports coaches’ development in terms of their education, qualifications and experiences. In order to gather the data, the field study involved travel to different countries (supported by Fulbright organization) to attend different types of coach education programs. The study used multiple methods of data collection including questionnaires and interviews with coach education stakeholders. Analysis of documentation and examination and evaluation of the available literature and systems of coach education also formed part of the research process. The results indicate that the training and development of sports coaches is considered central to improving the quality of sports coaching, which in turn develops the sports field in general. The coach learning and development process is a long-term commitment which takes place in a wide range of learning sources, and it is suggested that the coach qualification process should reflect the balance and combination of all of these learning settings in order to build up coaching expertise.