Effective talent development environments: bridging the theory-practice gap within a UK context

Performance sport has become a high priority for many Nations. For example, the UK distributes approximately £25 million per year through their World Class Performance programmes in order to aid effective identification, development and performance of our best athletes. Not surprisingly, in line with a more professional and scientific approach, the standards of sporting performance at an elite level are constantly improving. In order to remain competitive on the international stage, the processes and support mechanisms within our talent development environments (TDEs) must be effective in order to maintain a consistent stream of talent, capable of success at the highest level.Unfortunately, the structure and evidence base for talent development (TD) processes within the UK is weak and lacking in evidence -based guidance for those working `on the ground'. This is compounded by an apparent procedural bias towards the identification of talent as opposed to its development, a focus which is contrary to much of the research in this area. Against this backdrop, the objectives of this thesis are as follows:1) To identify the `needs' within current TD practice and provide clear direction and methodological guidance for the required programme of research,2) To identify guidelines through a triangulation of evidence that enables the application of effective TD procedures,3) To develop a tool to help bridge the theory -practice divide and enable practitioners and researchers to examine TDEs within applied settings, and4) To provide preliminary validation of the tool to assess the extent to which it has discriminant function

Sport science relevance and application: Perceptions of UK coaches

While sport science can have significant and positive impact on coaches and athletes, there is still a general consensus that the transfer of sport science knowledge to coaching is poor. Given this apparent dilemma, this study investigated the perceptions of sport science from coaches across four different sports (football, rugby league, curling and judo) across three different levels (elite, developmental and novice). Specifically, 58 coaches (19 football; 21 rugby league; 9 curling; 9 judo) drawn evenly from novice, developmental and elite groups agreed to take part and were interviewed. Three key features emerged from the analysis 1) Practical application and relevance 2) Integration and access, 3) Language. In short, there was significant variability in the extent to which sport science was considered relevant and to whom, although interestingly this was not strongly related to coaching level. This inconsistency of understanding was a barrier to sport science engagement in some instances, as was the challenge of operationalising information for specific contexts. Furthermore, availability of opportunities and resources were often left to chance, while overuse of jargon and inability for research and practitioners to consider sport specific needs were also considered barriers to engagement. Implications for research and practice are discussed

A Pragmatic Delphi Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to Emergency Responder/Healthcare Workers\u27 Participation in the Blue Light Surf Club Therapy Intervention

Emergency responders/healthcare workers face significant mental health burdens associated with their integral roles within society. Alongside the need for more mental health support, a major contributing factor to this burden are barriers to accessing suitable support. The aim of this study was to build consensus on the barriers/facilitators to a proposed surf therapy intervention supporting this population, the Blue Light Surf Club (BLSC). Where possible the study also explored pragmatic solutions from the perspectives of potential participants.  Given the primary aim of building consensus, a Delphi method was utilised alongside 18 emergency responders/healthcare workers from a range of different roles in central Scotland (7 males and 11 females; mean age = 38.2 years; standard deviation = 11 years; range 19-54). Participants were surveyed about their perceptions of barriers/facilitators to accessing the proposed BLSC surf therapy programme. Four rounds of questions were required before a priori defined consensus was reached across all generated items.  The outcome of the research was a set of recommendations for the implementation of the BLSC grouped around three themes: Intervention Access, Intervention Delivery and Intervention Structure. These recommendations offer insight and practical suggestions for overcoming established barriers to accessing mental health support for this population. The findings of this study have direct implications for the design stage of the BLSC surf therapy intervention while also supporting a wide range of similar interventions aimed at the emergency responder/healthcare population. These pragmatic recommendations are of value both in terms of their contribution to academic discussion around supporting this population, and the direct support they offer to comparable community-based organisations

Safe Spaces in Sport for Development Pragmatic Resource

This pragmatic resource is aimed at supporting the implementation of physical and emotional safe spaces within Sport for Development projects targeting mental health. It provides clear guidelines for staff involved in such projects from coaches up to project management. The resource is based on the following research:Marshall, J. & Martindale, R. (2024). A Delphi study exploring physical and emotional safe spaces within sport for development projects targeting mental health. Journal of Sport for Development, 12(2)

Exploring the coach-administrator relationship within the SA cricket development environment

Research question: The increased competitive demands placed on modern sports organisations, intensifies pressures on coaches to produce positive results. These factors may increase relational tensions between managerial-sports leaders (administrators) and the leaders of sports teams (coaches). Few studies have explored the challenges facing coaches when leading upwards when attempting to achieve performance success. Utilising institutional logics and the concepts of trust and power, this study investigated the relationship between coaches and administrators by exploring the various interactions and negotiations involved when navigating this relationship. Research methods: The views of thirteen highly experienced cricket coaches, with multi-layered coaching experiences operating in the South African cricket development environment, were recruited for semi-structured interviews, raising several significant themes. Results and findings : A significant challenge to coaches were administrators exhibiting a lack of understanding of the environment required to develop cricketers, providing areas of conflict such as; perceived differences in priorities leading to non-collaborative, ill-judged and, at times biased decisions; differences in priorities affecting resource allocation to drive and sustain long-term development due short-term financial decision-making and result-driven agendas. Implications: Theoretically, this research explores how institutional logics, trust and power enhance our understanding of the coach-administrator relationship and have potential research implications for understanding similar dynamic relationships in other sport organisations. Practically, one implication for sports organisations is the role and importance of developing and applying more effective coach performance management system to alleviate potential problems in these relationships

The effects of structural change: An investigation into the South African cricket development pathway

Sports organisations face immense challenge, both structurally and organisationally, in coordinating talent development processes. This complex interaction may be exacerbated by structural change and sports policy decision-making, not only changing the way pathway elements interact and individuals progress, but also the quality of the learning and development domain. The aim of this research was to investigate the development pathway of South African cricketers and the impact of change to the provincial structure in 2004. Twelve semi-structured interviews with highly experienced players, coaches and administrators raised a number of themes. Specifically, the changes reduced elite playing opportunities and narrowed pathway options. Club cricket standards dropped, reducing its viability as a pool for talent identification and effective development. This placed stress on age-related academies as a fundamental development environment and the need to select talent ‘into the system’ earlier, which has implications for late developers and the extent to which chance influences development. Practical consequences, in the long-term, not only reduce the participation base and narrow the performance pathway, but also impact on the overall health of SA domestic and international game. Findings also reinforce the theoretical models, acknowledging sports development as an individual and non-linear process and confirm cricket as a late developing sport, stressing the importance of those development environments between mass participation and elite performance (school/club/university) to retain structure, competition and exhibit the greatest flexibility and coherency. Implications for practice and research are discussed

The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire as a Tool to Drive Excellence in Elite Sport Environments

Currently, little work has evaluated the impact of interventions within talent development environments (TDEs). This study is the first of its kind to evaluate the efficacy of utilising the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) as a tool to help coaches and support staff gain feedback, structure interventions, and evaluate impact over a 12-month period of an international elite TDE. Sixteen full time professional male rugby union players, the Chief Rugby Operations Officer, General Manager of Rugby Performance, and the Head of the Elite Rugby Program participated in the research. The TDEQ baseline results identified 17 weaknesses and nine strengths. Subsequently, an evidence based intervention designed by a staff and player working group was implemented. After the 12-month intervention, there were five weaknesses and 18 strengths with seven targeted and five non-targeted TDEQ items showed statistically significant improvements. Implications for practioners and policy makers on the use of the TDEQ as a mechanism for evidence based impact on evaluation, intervention design, and monitoring in elite TDEs are discussed

The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire as a Tool to Drive Excellence in Elite Sport Environments

Currently, little work has evaluated the impact of interventions within talent development environments (TDEs). This study is the first of its kind to evaluate the efficacy of utilising the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) as a tool to help coaches and support staff gain feedback, structure interventions, and evaluate impact over a 12-month period of an international elite TDE. Sixteen full time professional male rugby union players, the Chief Rugby Operations Officer, General Manager of Rugby Performance, and the Head of the Elite Rugby Program participated in the research. The TDEQ baseline results identified 17 weaknesses and nine strengths. Subsequently, an evidence based intervention designed by a staff and player working group was implemented. After the 12-month intervention, there were five weaknesses and 18 strengths with seven targeted and five non-targeted TDEQ items showed statistically significant improvements. Implications for practioners and policy makers on the use of the TDEQ as a mechanism for evidence based impact on evaluation, intervention design, and monitoring in elite TDEs are discussed