Servant Leadership and Sports Coaching

The body of literature concerning the relationship between sports coaching and Christianity raises a number of questions about whether or not competitive sport might be considered a legitimate vocational field for Christian coach practitioners. Indeed, this literature has offered limited theoretical clarity for Christian sports coaches seeking a sound and legitimate foundation for their professional practice. In this chapter, the role of the coach is considered broader than the pedagogical function of helping athletes learn technically and tactically. Instead, we focus on the overarching concept of leadership and, in particular, servant leadership, with a view to offering Christian sports coaches an operational framework in relation to their practices and responsibilities regarding athletes and teams, predominantly in the competitive sporting domain. The central aim of the chapter is to provide insight into the connections between servant leadership and sports coaching and, in particular, the ways in which servant leadership behaviors might manifest themselves in and through coaching practice.