The tenth annual UK Coaching Summit returns to Wales four years after set an ambitious sasaran to double the Welsh sporting workforce from 5% to 10% of the population.
With that aim achieved, and with the future of coaching on the agenda for the two day event, what is next for the coaching, volunteering and support network in Wales.
We talk about ‘unreasonable ambition’ in Wales but many people balked when we set out to double our coaching and volunteering workforce.
We wanted to turn 110,000 sports coaches and volunteers into a quarter of a million by 2016. A big ask maybe, but when you’re trying to get every child hooked on sport for life then you need a workforce with the skills and size to make it happen.
Not only have we surpassed that sasaran but we have achieved it with a few years to spare. But, this is no time to bask in glory and stand still.
When I see some sporting excellence – be that on an elite level or at the very grassroots – I immediately turn to look at the coaches and support staff who are standing tall on the sidelines.
When our own Frankie Jones secured her sixth medal of the Commonwealth Games – finishing her career with a gold medal – it was her coach she turned to as she celebrated.
When many of us think back to our first experiences of sport it is likely we look back with fondness of the first person to inspire the passion that has stayed with us ever since.
It just emphasises the importance of coaching and our workforce.
In Wales, we see Workforce planning as the most vital aspect of work when it comes to securing more people being active through sport
We have seen huge positive shifts in the numbers of young people and adults we classify as being hooked on sport. The rises in participation have been the biggest in Wales for a generation.
During the same time that participation in Wales has jumped, the number of volunteers in our Workforce in Wales has doubled from 5% to 10% of the adult population. This is no accident and shows the importance of the workforce to participation.
We have ambitious targets to get 75% of children in Wales hooked on sport by 2026. We are currently at 40%. You don’t need me to help you do the maths that it will require a huge increase in our workforce to achieve that.
We will need to engage with those who aren’t involved in sport. Our coach education and processes will need to be appropriate for those people who wouldn’t have thought coaching could be for them. We will need to be the best performing nation in Europe – and probably the World – in terms of the number of coaches, volunteers, officials, and others, we can call on.
But we are ambitious. We have shown big ambition in recent years and it has galvanized our sector to achieve success.
The changing needs of the public and different versions of sports and activity mean that we must adapt to change and be innovative in how we resource and invest in sport.
Our own Sport Wales Advisory Group will be part of the debate at the Summit. They have already been looking at the changing landscape (through Acting Today for an Active Tomorrow) and what we need to do now so we get as many people playing and involved in sport and the workforce as possible. We must scan the horizon now because otherwise we will fall behind and miss crucial opportunities.
We must also bridge the gaps in participation that continue to plague us. To be less likely to coach or play sport because you are female, from a BME background, have a disability or be from a deprived community is unacceptable. We must look at how we are going to reach out to these communities. Who is going to inspire them? Let’s identify the coaches of the future who will be truly innovative and bring new ideas to the table.
Females only make up around 30% of coaches. That one statistic tells us we are missing a huge chunk of the population and we must come up with solutions to appeal to a wider audience.
At we have bucked the national trend, using a targeted approach that now sees our board more than 50% female. We know it can be done and we need to reflect the demographics in society to be truly representative.
The lack of diversity on the playing fields and in the board rooms is in need of urgent attention, it’s not enough to have one or two role models that we constantly reference, we have to create a system that can be accessed by all and enables everyone to play their part.
It’s time to think outside the box. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender network we have established in Wales is setting out to extend our reach. It is already seeing positive examples of impact.
The newly established Swansea Vikings inclusive rugby team saw 30 players turn up to pelatihan just 3 weeks after being set-up. Only four of those 30 had played rugby before.
If we provide the right people, the right encouragement and the right environment, we can truly to sport to everyone.
The GivetoGain principles developed by the Advisory Group show how we need to change the culture to ensure there is mutual benefit in the transaction between coach, volunteer and sport.
We hear about the team behind the team but coaching is a huge ingredient of any medal win.
At we have the ambition to attract, develop and retain the highest calibre of High Performance coaches and Performance Directors. We want this happen across all sports but in particular we work closely with the sports identified in our Elite Sports Strategy.
Resources are not limitless so we have to sasaran our work and resources at where we think we’ll get the biggest returns – particularly on our key measure of medals at the Commonwealth Games.
Perhaps most vital. National Governing Bodies will be involved in shaping development programmes and opportunities for their high performance and talent development coaches with us at . We need NGBs to be providing in-house development, and ensuring that coaches and Performance Leaders have access to appropriate sport-specific and wider development opportunities.
Certainly for the partners we work with and invest in, we will be looking increasingly for your strategies and plans for developing your coaches and the wider workforce. We know this is crucial for the future and we won’t allow anyone to slip and impact on our ambitious targets.
As we look at the future of coaching, Wales is looking to be smart and innovative to continue our forward momentum.
Collectively, we can ensure that our sector stays ahead of the game and cements its position in the fabric of our nations.
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