Coaching Unlimited: Empowering Generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leaders: A Research Report Commissioned by Netball Australia and Netball New South Wales

Background: The Coaching Unlimited program aspires to empower coaches with tangible coaching, employment, and health promotion skills to build individual and community capacity. This report discusses the delivery and evaluation of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ netball coaching workshop delivered on August 6, 2017 at Genea Netball Centre, Sydney Olympic Park. Methods: To ensure the success of the first Coaching Unlimited, we conducted a mixed method study to evaluate the netball-coaching workshop. Key Results: Based on the survey and interview results, the workshop was enjoyable and well delivered; included useful information, skills, and resources; and provided coaches with practical ideas for future coaching and leadership roles within their communities. In sum, all coaches either agreed or strongly agreed that the Coaching Unlimited workshop: • Included useful resources • Increased their interest in, and understanding of, the workshop topics • Enhanced their ability to implement strategies relating to the workshop Recommendations • This model of delivering health promotion education alongside coaching accreditation was perceived as highly useful and enjoyable • Penrith, Mt Druitt, and Blacktown have been suggested as potential areas for future workshops, as has Bathurst and Orange as ideal regional locations. • Holding workshops earlier in the netball season were recommended so that coaches could implement their new knowledge immediately. • Moving forward, Coaching Unlimited will conduct a series of similar workshops across different sports in order to continue to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with opportunities to both gain coaching accreditation, and become leaders and mentors within their community

Effectiveness of adult health promotion initiatives delivered through professional sport : systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Researchers are capitalising on the strong connections that sport fans have with their teams for health promotion programmes, yet no existing systematic reviews have evaluated the effectiveness of interventions delivered through professional sport. Objective: The aim of this study was to systematically collate, evaluate, and synthesise the evidence on health promotion interventions implemented in professional sport settings. Methods: Randomised controlled trials reporting on adult health promotion initiatives delivered in professional sport settings were identified through electronic database searches in CINAHL, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Google Scholar. Data on health-related outcomes (e.g., weight, physical activity, dietary intake) were extracted and synthesised, and random effects meta-analyses were conducted to examine effects for weight and waist circumference. Risk of bias was examined using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised controlled trials (RoB 2). Results: Six studies reporting on five unique interventions met the inclusion criteria, and all included studies were gender sensitised and exclusively targeted men. Intervention effects were observed for several health outcomes, including physical activity, dietary intake, and psychosocial health. All studies aimed to reduce weight, and for most studies (n = 4), weight was a primary outcome, either of the included study or to inform a future definitive trial. Findings from the meta-analysis revealed an overall significant difference in change in weight of − 3.2 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] − 4.6 to − 1.8) and waist circumference of − 3.9 cm (95% CI − 4.9 to − 2.8), both in favour of the intervention group at 12 weeks. Intervention effects were also reported for several other health outcomes (e.g., physical activity, dietary intake, psychosocial health); however, they were not consistently measured across the studies and thus were not meta-analysed. Conclusion: Health promotion interventions delivered through professional sporting organisations can significantly improve weight- and lifestyle-related health outcomes. Representation across the socioeconomic spectrum and across culturally and linguistically diverse groups was limited. As only a limited number of studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, a need exists for rigorously designed interventions, standardised intervention approaches, with long-term follow-up, and the potential for scalability

Coaching and adherence issues in youth sport

The purpose of this chapter is to highlight two key themes. First, this chapter looks at an emerging field in the academic literature related to coaching in the youth sport context. The second theme describes reasons for youth sport participation including the motives for adherence to sport participation as well as the commonly identified reasons for sport withdrawal. Case-study examples are presented in the latter part of this section to explore key contextual instances for continued sport participation or withdrawal. Finally, the chapter outlines the implications of coaching within the youth sport setting in relation to continued participation into adulthood as well as for coach education

[In Press] Conducting practitioner research in physical education and youth sport : reflecting on practice

Book review: Conducting practitioner research in physical education and youth sport: reflecting on practice, by A. Casey, T. Fletcher, L. Schaefer, and D. Gleddie, Abingdon, Routledge, 2018, 180 pages, $AUD59.19 (paperback), ISBN 978113889219

Coach-athlete relationships : a qualitative study of professional sport teams in Australia

This paper examines perceptions of effective coaching and coach-athlete relationships within professional team sports in Australia. The findings are based on interviews with six male professional coaches and 25 players from cricket, rugby league, and rugby union. Qualitative data analysis reveals that relationships within professional sport settings are based on mutual respect, trust and honesty. The results also indicate that professional coaches and players describe two different types of coach-athlete relationships-the close, ‘family’ oriented relationship or the ‘professional’, arms-length relationship-both of which are considered equally effective as long as the coaches and athletes share the same attitude towards the relationship. These findings have implications for effective coaching and how coaches interact to develop relationships with their athletes. They demonstrate that if coaches are to be perceived as effective, it is crucial to consider individual athlete preferences with respect to the type of relationship formed. This highlights the need for specialised coach training in people management as the professional coaching role increasingly requires attention to personal development in conjunction with the technical, tactical and physical training of their athletes

Coach-athlete Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Professional Sport Teams in Australia

This paper examines perceptions of effective coaching and coach-athlete relationships within professional team sports in Australia. The findings are based on interviews with six male professional coaches and 25 players from cricket, rugby league, and rugby union. Qualitative data analysis reveals that relationships within professional sport settings are based on mutual respect, trust and honesty. The results also indicate that professional coaches and players describe two different types of coach-athlete relationships-the close, ‘family’ oriented relationship or the ‘professional’, arms-length relationship-both of which are considered equally effective as long as the coaches and athletes share the same attitude towards the relationship. These findings have implications for effective coaching and how coaches interact to develop relationships with their athletes. They demonstrate that if coaches are to be perceived as effective, it is crucial to consider individual athlete preferences with respect to the type of relationship formed. This highlights the need for specialised coach training in people management as the professional coaching role increasingly requires attention to personal development in conjunction with the technical, tactical and physical training of their athletes

An overview of the benefits, issues and challenges that generalist primary school teachers face when teaching physical education

In today's society, there is a genuine concern about childhood obesity. Physical education plays a significant role in facilitating healthy lifestyles, fostering social and emotional well-being and developing positive long-term experiences for children in school settings. This chapter begins by outlining some of the key concerns about physical activity and the status of physical inactivity amongst younger generations in Australia. Following this is a review of the current research that has investigated various aspects of physical education (PE) in primary school settings. The details of a recent case study that investigated the benefits, issues and challenges of teaching PE in Sydney primary schools is then provided. The final section highlights the key trends of the research and revisits the main concerns with the current status of PE teaching in primary schools

An effective coaching model : the perceptions and strategies of professional team sport coaches and players in Australia

This paper explores professional coach and player perceptions of effective coaching, closely scrutinising what coaches do (behaviours) and what coaches think (perceptions). A unique range of professional coaches and players from Australian team sport contexts were observed and interviewed regarding the topic of effective coaching. Qualitative data analyses lead to the creation of an 'Effective Coaching Model' (ECM) for professional sport with three major concepts that represent the professional coaches'/players' perceptions and strategies of eŠective coaching: (a) The Coach, (b) Coaching Skills, and (c) The Environment. After presenting the key features of the ECM and how they were applied in these professional contexts, the ECM is critiqued in relation to the various eminent models of sport coaching

The coach-athlete relationship in Australian touch football

Sporting success is strongly related to the psychological aspects of sport, not merely physical training and natural ability (Iso-Ahola, 1995) and there are many different psychological aspects of sport that influence athletes' experiences. One of the most influential factors is the coach-athlete relationship. This relationship is decisive in competitive sport as it impacts on athlete satisfaction, self-esteem, and performance (Jowett and Cockerill, 2003; Jowett and Meek, 2000; Philippe and Seiler, 2006). For some athletes, the coach-athlete relationship shapes their entire sport experience and has a profound impact on the quality of both practice and athletic performance during competitions (Poczwardowski et al., 2002)

Perceptions and strategies of effective coaching leadership : a qualitative investigation of professional coaches and players

This paper outlines the findings from a qualitative investigation of the perceptions about, and strategies of, effective coaching leadership within three male Australian professional team sport contexts. Data collection involved semi-structured observations and interviews with coaches and players from professional cricket, rugby union and rugby league teams at training and competition venues in Australia. Data analysis revealed three major properties that underpin perceived effective coach leadership— (1) Develop a personalised approach, (2) Delegate responsibilities and (3) Decision-making. The findings showed that coaches in these professional sport settings possessed their own personal approach to leadership, yet develop a leadership style that resonates with the ideals of support staff and players. The results also demonstrated how a player-centred approach to coach leadership was more highly valued than the traditional, coach centred approach within these professional contexts. The implications for coaching practice are discussed in relation to previous leadership and coaching literature