Building Community Level Coaching Capacity: A Nova Scotia Pilot Project
Original report written by: Edwards, J. (2018).
Summary
The Coaching Pilot Project was initiated in 2008 to develop a best practices model for setting standards, to build learning facilitator capacity and to deliver coach training and certification in community and school settings.
Specific Objectives of the Coaching Pilot Project included:
- To increase sport specific learning facilitator capacity, in Community Coach and Introduction to Competition streams of the NCCP, throughout Nova Scotia;
- To increase delivery and implementation of Community Sport Coach, in the community club setting, throughout Nova Scotia;
- To increase delivery and implementation of Introduction to Competition stream in the school setting throughout Nova Scotia;
- To establish standards for coach training and certification in community and school settings set by Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) in collaboration with their partners;
- To increase collaboration among partners in establishing standards for coaches in the community and school settings.
Conducting the research proved to illustrate the systemic problems uncovered throughout the sport system and among community coaches that relate to and hinder the development of community level coach capacity. There are four strategic themes among these issues and challenges where work and improvement are required. They are:
- Communication at many levels
- Values
- Systemic Effort
- Collaboration
In the Final Report and Recommendations of the Coaching Pilot Project, there are details on 22 overall issues and challenges, 14 of which relate to the sport delivery system as a whole in relation to community coach development and eight (8) which relate to coaches/coaching/coach development.
To request the full report, please send an email to research@coach.ca.