Sport Industry Roles – Coaching
Here are just some examples of roles that fall within this category. Click on each job title to find out more about roles and responsibilities, and necessary skills required:
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An Academy Director has overall responsibility for leading on the strategy of an Academy, enhancing the development of young athletes.
They will be responsible for its objectives and overall aims, whilst manging all aspects of delivery in accordance with the organisation’s values and structure.
Roles and responsibilities may include:
- Maintaining high standards
- Representing the Academy and present on its successes
- Delivering the Academy strategy and building a team to support its delivery
- Aligning departmental objectives with the organisational strategy and ethos
- Ensuring compliance with sports codes, regulations and rules
- Overseeing the recruitment process for young athletes and liaising with coaches, athletes and parents to provide feedback on progress
- Coordinate a team of coaches, scouts, medical and support staff to assist in the running of an effective Academy
- Attend fixtures, events and competitions representing the Academy and gaining insight into athlete progression.
- Manage the Academy budget and expenditure, ensuring value for money investment into athlete recruitment
Necessary skills:
- Strategic thinking and planning
- Ability to identify talent and development opportunities
- Strong inter-personal skills and knowledge to provide pastoral and welfare support
- Leadership skills to manage a team of multi-skilled people to focus on a central strategy
- Confidence to conduct presentations and public speaking
- Clear passion for the sport and development of young athletes
- Strong knowledge and experience of sports coaching
- Capability of negotiating athlete contracts and agreements
- Excellent communicator who is highly skilled in influencing and inspiring others
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A Grassroots or Community Coach work in the community delivering sports coaching to members of the public, both adults and children, of all abilities.
Roles and responsibilities
- Design and deliver sports coaching sessions, fixtures and events
- Provide a safe environment where all participants can enjoy sport and thrive to reach their full potential
- Encourage and inspire involvement by engaging with participants
- Deliver fun and enjoyable training sessions which encourage team work and motivation
- Work with partners and agencies to ensure inclusive delivery and engagement across the community
- Communicate effectively with participants to ensure enjoyment and satisfaction
- Coordinate the planning of activities, sessions and fixtures and complete all relevant registrations and administration
- Ensuring the environment and culture meets the welfare needs of the participants
Necessary skills:
- Experienced coach of sport(s) for a variety of abilities
- Knowledge of planning and delivering sports sessions, fixtures and events in a community and/or grassroots environment
- Organised manner with effective project management skills
- Strong communicator with influencing and motivating skills
- Engaging and ability to build relationships with both adults and children
- Trained in emergency first aid, safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
- Keen interest in sport
- Ability to work as a team and be a team player
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A first Team coach is the manager of the first team in a club or sports organisation that front the team at sports competitions and championships. They are responsible for the selection, training and preparation of elite athletes in their sport.
They will be tasked with building a support team of coaches, medical staff, specialist professionals and expertise to best equip the athletes to perform at the best of their ability.
Roles and responsibilities may include:
- Building a competent and competitive sports team
- Enlisting the support of a team of backroom staff with expertise in elite sport
- Designing and delivering training sessions
- Attending and motivating the team in all competitions
- Leading on the recruitment and performance development of each athlete within the team
- Overseeing the development pathways of young athletes, through to elite professionals
- Conducting media duties, both pre and post event/competition/fixture
- Ensuring the environment and culture meets the welfare needs of the team and its staff
- Adhering to sports code and regulations
Necessary skills:
- Experience of coaching elite sport in specialist field
- Understanding of a high-performance team and expertise in developing and nurturing talent
- Knowledge of planning and delivering sports coaching sessions
- Ability to prepare and plan for elite sport competitions, with a desire to reach optimum performance levels
- Excellent communicator with the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with athletes and staff
- Commitment to long-term development of the team and the wider sport
- Capability to travel and work unsociable hours
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A Scout in sport is someone who works for a team or sports organisation and is tasked with identifying talent from outside the organisation they work for and evaluating their performance.
Scouts are sent to sports events and competitions, schools and clubs to watch athletes perform and are required to report back on their ability with a view to recruiting that talent to join their team or sports organisation.
Roles and responsibilities may include:
- Attend sports events, competitions and fixtures during unsociable hours including evenings and weekends
- Conduct research and identify talented athletes for scouting
- Analyse performance videos and statistics of potential athletes
- Monitor and record the ability of identified athletes and produce a detailed report for consideration
- Liaise with athletes, coaches and representatives
- Provide coaches with data and insight of athletes
Necessary skills:
- Excellent knowledge of the sport
- Ability to recognise elite performance within the sport
- Understanding of the specific criteria the recruiting organisation is looking for in potential athletes
- Insight of tactics and techniques in the sport when observing the athletes
- Competence in evaluating performance and producing analysis reports
- Effective communication and inter-personal skills to engage with representatives at all levels of the sport
- Confidence in decision making
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A Strength and Conditioning Coach forms part of a wider support team to develop athletes and specifically provides the relevant training, improving their ability through insight and technical interventions.
They will assist by developing the fitness of athletes through exercise and training sessions, tracking performance and progress and adjusting plans where needed for individuals and teams.
They may also work with dieticians or nutritionists to ensure an athlete’s diets supplements their fitness.
Roles and responsibilities may include:
- Design and implement strength training and conditioning programmes for individuals and teams
- Contribute to the development of processes to support rehabilitation and recovery of athletes, together with physiotherapists and sport scientists
- Develop systems to track and monitor an athlete’s fitness progress through regular fitness testing
- Educate athletes on injury prevention, self-care and awareness of a healthy diet to benefit fitness
- Utilise technology to provide relevant insight and data for programme planning
- Liaise with coaches and backroom staff to provide detailed analysis of athlete progress and development
Necessary skills:- Clear understanding of strength and conditioning analysis programmes and processes
- In depth knowledge of strength and conditioning training techniques and tactics
- Ability to engage with and motivate athletes
- Capability of educating athletes, coaches and medical staff on fitness, strength and conditioning
- Strong communication and inter-personal skills to engage with coaches and medical staff
- Personable and enthusiastic with a strong work ethic
- Good team player who can work on own initiative.
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