Coach Management is the process of ensuring the efficient and effective use or coaches. Well managed coaches know their roles and responsibilities, have clearly identified performance targets and are more likley to stay motivated.
Coach Management can be performed by a nominated individual or by a committee. sports coach UK, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust all recognise the importance of coach management and have collaborated to develop a five stage process to help Coach Managers with the management process.
This five stage process is called PRIDD. PRIDD stands for PLAN, RECRUIT, INDUCT, DEVELOP and DEPLOY.
PLAN
Before you employ or deploy your coaches, you must first know who you plan to deliver coaching to. The age, aspirations and number of participants will affect the type of coach/coaches you need to recruit in order to deliver effective and high quality sports sessions. You’ll also want to consider the resources you have e.g. time, money and facilities which will all impact on your coach recruitment.
RECRUIT
The recruitment process involves a number of stages including:
- creating job descriptions and role profiles
- the application process
- advertising new positions
- conducting the interviews (formal and practical)
- selecting candidates and checking references
- terms & conditions/volunteer agreement
INDUCT
The induction is a crucial part of the deployment process. Coaches need to be apprised of any local rules, policies and procedures. This should include a weekly plan, any training to be provided as part of the role and a review of your workforce’s progress togehter with any further needs they may have after an agreed probationary period.
DEVELOP
For coaches to be the best they can be, they must be provided with a variety of means to develop their skills, characteristics and competences. This may take the form of formal training, semi-formal coach education or informal mentoring.
DEPLOY
Once your workforce is deployed there are several things a manager should do to ensure they continue to perform at the required level. These can include observational checklists, participant feedback, quarterly and annual performance reviews.
