Keeping the Flame Alive: the views of coaches on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Keeping the Flame Alive The views of grassroots coaches on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Prepared by the Research Team at sports coach UK December 2012

Coaches views on the Olympic and Paralympic Games Three months after the lights went out on the closing ceremony of the Paralympics we decided to ask coaches about their feelings towards the Olympic and Paralympic Games1.

Just over 100 coaches replied and the results show that the Games have left a deep impression on coaches. There was an overwhelming feeling of being proud to be a coach and coaches have been inspired to improve their coaching.

Whilst this survey was about looking back to the summer there was also a feeling that now is the time to seize the opportunity provided by the Games and drive coaching forward into the future. To accomplish this we need to address concerns from coaches around recruiting more coaches, facilities and planning around future major events.

As a result of the Games coaches in clubs have seen an increase in participants and almost half are now doing more coaching. However this effect appears to have been limited to Olympic sports rather than non-Olympic sports.

The Olympic and Paralympics has boosted coaches and coaching The Games undoubtedly had a positive impact on coaches.   

94% felt proud to be a coach 88% felt the Games portrayed coaching in a good light 88% were inspired to improve their coaching

The selection of comments below gives a flavour for what coaches felt about the Games.

Both the Olympics and Paralympics were inspiring and for once coaches were mentioned as part and parcel of the athlete's achievements To see the results of good coaching and good practice over many years come to fruition has been good.

Re-fired my appetite to continue coaching I think rather than specifically impacting on coaching it has made individuals aware of the contribution of time and effort individuals invest in sport (and predominantly by coaches) and how much is involved.

74% of coaches also stated that the Games inspired them to do more coaching. Of these, two-thirds were able to turn that inspiration into practice and are now doing more coaching as a result of more participants appearing in their clubs.

1

For ease these are referred to in this report as the Games

Seizing the opportunity Given the positive impact that the Games have had on coaches and coaching there is a feeling that now is the time to seize the opportunity provided. As the coaches said: It’s had a massive impact I just hope the legacy impact is as big KEEP THE FLAME ALIVE that’s what’s needed.

Try and keep profile high. People are interested in the coaches and systems that build champions I think the profile of coaching was raised at this Games but definitely could go further.

I hope it has also encouraged governing bodies to ensure they work hard to put systems in place across the board to offer opportunities and retain people in their sports or indeed refine and continually develop the coaching pathways that are always evolving How coaching can take advantage of the Olympics From comments it is clear that coaches feel the Games have provided an opportunity to grow coaching. If this is to be achieved there are two areas that coaches would like to address around capacity issues and future planning.

Capacity issues Linked to the evidence provided in this report and other research it appears that existing coaches will often be required to take on more work because there are not enough coaches in a club. This lack of human resources is ultimately impacting on participants. As was often stated: Lack of volunteers to coach and organise is also a problem Most clubs that I know are at full capacity with waiting lists, unable to take on extra people due to lack of gym time, coaches, gym space No matter how many children want to get involved, it will always be restricted by the number of volunteers. This is the problem within the three clubs that I am involved with.

However capacity issues are not just concerned with volunteers but also facilities available for coaching. As one coach stated: Our club has doubled in size since the Games. We have expanded greatly and continue to have new gymnasts each week, the majority of whom we have kept in the sport. We have been able to open up new classes but due to space restrictions are now having to implement a waiting list again until we can find space in venues.

Going forward it is important to look at how clubs can build capacity and especially how they can be helped to recruit and retain coaches in the future.

Planning Comments from a number of coaches suggested that they felt an opportunity was missed due to a lack of forward planning.

At my club we were not prepared for the interest following the games.

I feel that we all knew this would happen but did little to increase the coaching teams in all disciplines of our sport.

I wonder if Sports increased the number of coaches at grass roots Other research has shown what can be achieved by forward planning2 and therefore it is recommended that sports and clubs should be helped to consider what future events are likely to increase participation and plan accordingly.

Increasing participation In line with evidence from other surveys on post-Games legacy3 and figures from Sport England4 the coaches in this study have noticed an increase in participation.

75% of coaches have seen an increase in participation in their club as shown below: Figure 1: Have you noticed more people coming into your club since the Olympic and Paralympic Games?

25%

45% 30%

Yes

Only to a small degree

No

55% of coaches are doing more coaching as a result of increased participation. This is evenly split between those doing ‘a little more’ and those doing more. These results are consistent with other coaching research we have conducted which shows that it is often existing coaches who take up the strain in clubs when participation increases. 5

2

To see a case study of how Exeter Canoe Club developed their coaching workforce to deal with Olympic legacy click here: http://www.sportscoachuk.org/sites/default/files/Paddling-forsuccess.pdf 3 Research by the Sport and Recreation Alliance found that 42% of clubs had seen an increase in participation and 69% of clubs in Olympic sports had seen an increase.

4 5

Active People Survey data has revealed an increase in participation since the Games.

The Coach Tracking (2012) showed that in the years prior to the Games 30% of extra work that a coach undertook was the result of increased participation in clubs.

Figure 2: Are you doing more coaching as a result of more people coming into your club?

10% 27% 35% 28%

Yes

Only to a small degree

No

We did not have more people

Who were the Inspirational coaches?

Respondents were asked if there were any coaches in particular that they were inspired by. The answers included a mix of named individuals, mentions for teams of coaches or comments such as ‘I don’t think I could single out any one specific coach, I was inspired by everyone.’

Two coaches who stood out in terms of being named regularly as an inspiration were Toni Minichiello and Dave Brailsford. Those suggesting Toni Minichiello were impressed by his ability to coach an elite athlete at so many different disciplines while for Dave Brailsford it was his attention to detail that stood out.

According to our respondents the behaviours inspirational coaches displayed included a combination of: Controlling the controllables, attention to detail, hard work, preparation, managing expectations, creating opportunities, building relationships, perseverance, helping, motivating, communicating and having a positive attitude.

Role of honour Below is a list of all the coaches who were named as providing an inspiration during the Games. Teams of coaches who were also mentioned are shown below.

Coaches Dave Brailsford (cycling) Audrey Cooper (Volleyball) Jurgen Grobler (Rowing) Peter Hannan (athletics) Sharon Hannan (athletics) Toni Minichiello (athletics) Dan Pfaff (athletics) Hope Powell (football) Alberto Salazar (athletics) Shane Sutton (Cycling)

Teams of coaches Athletics Boxing Canoeing Dressage Gymnastics Rowing Triathlon

Non-Olympic coaches From the results it appears, perhaps not surprisingly, that coaches in Olympic sports have felt a much greater impact than non-Olympic sports. While coaches in nonolympic sports agreed that the Games portrayed coaching in a positive light they were less likely to feel that it made them proud to be a coach and they were also less likely to be inspired to coach more or learn more about coaching.

Although the sample is small the comments below show an agreement from coaches in non-Olympic sports that there has been no increase in participation at their club and no need for increased coaching.

I coach in a non-Olympic/Paralympic sport (cricket) and have noticed no change in participation levels post-Games.

I coach orienteering which is not an olympic sport. My participant numbers have dropped since the Olympics.

Being involved in a non-Olympic sport we are suffering from the excessive focus that has been placed on Olympic sports.

Limited impact for sports that aren't featured in the Olympics/Paralympics.

Summary Overall the Olympic and Paralympic Games have had a positive impact on coaches. What happens next is crucial and it is clear they want the flames of London 2012 to continue to burn for coaches and participants for years to come.