Org Practice Call to Action
Minimize Out-of-Pocket Costs for Coaches
Most youth sport coaches are volunteers who give their time and energy. Removing financial burdens helps create a more equitable, inclusive coaching environment where more people feel able to step in and make a difference. Organizations should seek to offset costs whenever possible. That might include budgeting for training directly or seeking outside funding to support it.
→What this looks like when we get it right: Volunteer coaches access training for free, thanks to creative funding, absorbed costs, and partnerships that remove financial barriers to participation.
→Who can drive this change? Program Operators; Non-Government Funders, including philanthropy; Government; Sports Governance
Why This Issue
Program operators face many hurdles when recruiting coaches. Time constraints, lack of experience, and concerns about dealing with parents are common. Quality training can help attract coaches, but if it comes with a cost, it could create new barriers instead of removing them.
Getting Started
Organizations should absorb training costs whenever possible. Impactful coach education programs come with real costs. Ideally, those costs will not be passed along to volunteer or low-resourced coaches. Whenever possible, national governing bodies, federations, and program operators should cover training expenses to ensure financial barriers don’t prevent someone from stepping up to coach.
Look for creative funding solutions. When full coverage isn’t possible, organizations can still seek to lower costs by pursuing outside funding opportunities, such as government grants, private funding, and partnerships. Organizations at all levels should monitor potential funding streams and work together to advocate for coaching-specific investments and legislation.
Remove cost barriers to support equity and access. Financial obligations can deter qualified, passionate individuals from becoming coaches, particularly those from underrepresented or lower-income backgrounds. To ensure coaching reflects the communities it serves, we must eliminate these avoidable roadblocks and make it easier for everyone to participate.