Coaching Calls to Action
A Vision for Youth Sports Coaching
The message is as simple as it is urgent: when we invest in coaches, we invest in kids, communities, and the future of sport.
This Calls to Action Statement represents our commitment to leverage their collective voice, and is the culmination of years of collaboration to identify systemic barriers to quality coaching in youth sports. Four key sections offer a clear path forward: Insights, Narrative, Organizational Practice, and Policy.
Our Calls to Action
Taken together, these sections explore what’s working, what needs to change, and how we can make quality coach training the rule, not the exception.
Insights
Getting Best Practices to Coaches
Narrative
Changing the Way the World Sees Coaching
Org Practice
Raising the Bar on Coach Training
Policy
Closing the Policy Gap in Youth Coaching
Together, we can build a youth sport culture designed for kids.
About this Work:
Research shows that coaching grounded in positive youth development builds better athletes and better outcomes. The problem? At least two-thirds of coaches don’t have the tools, training, or support to bring that approach to life.
That’s why the Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) exists. We’re a collective of public and private partners from across youth sports with a shared goal to train the next generation of coaches in approaches that help young people thrive.
To meet the needs of all coaches, we need changes to the system. Real progress calls for public policy that backs coach development, organizations that share standards, research that drives action, and stories that help people understand the human impact of coaching.
How to read the CTAs:
The ideas put forward come from a coordinated, year-long process, each led by the partners themselves. The Signature Issue in each section represents a priority call to action that warrants special attention for sector impact and has been elevated to symbolize its importance.
- Choose your own adventure. While the material can be read in order, from start to finish, it doesn’t have to be. We encourage you to find the sections and ideas that feel most interesting and relevant.
- Who can drive this change? Each call to action identifies sub-sectors that can drive the change needed. This is not an exhaustive list and only reflects our impression of the issue and the field. To better understand the sub-sectors named, use our cheat sheet.