Retaining Volunteer Coaches in Child and Youth Sport

Abstract

Community sport organisations (CSOs) offer young people (children and teenagers) with opportunities for organised sport participation in both recreational and competitive sport. Given the non-profit structure of community sport in countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe, the delivery of youth sport is a result of the commitment and dedication of volunteers. Those involved in children's coaching represent a significant proportion of CSO volunteers and play a crucial role in the management and front-line delivery of sport services. Research demonstrates that volunteer sport coaches who prioritise the psychological and social well-being of their youth athletes over winning can play an important mentorship role, support positive youth development, and encourage life-long involvement in sport and physical activity. Yet, many volunteers experience stress, lack of support from parents and club administrators, and declining well-being which can contribute to coaches leaving their roles. This chapter discusses the profile of children's sport coaches and outlines factors and stressors influencing turnover and burnout among volunteer coaches including poor administration, lack of social support, and lack of flexibility in coaching roles. The chapter also outlines several strategies for retaining high-quality sport coaches for children. The chapter will also discuss particular approaches for retaining female volunteer coaches given that volunteer burnout is high among this important group of coaches. This review has implications for students, coaches, sport and volunteer administrators, and scholars interested in retaining volunteers interested in coaching children in sport. For the purpose of this chapter, the phrase “youth sport coach” is used, since this is the terminology most often used in the research for this age. However, the chapter should be read in terms of applying this to children's coaches in this context.