Investigating the Value Created through a Selective Talent and Performance Coach Development Programme

There has been a recent upturn in the volume of research concerning the development of performance and talent development sports coaches (e.g. Blackett, Evans, & Piggott, 2015; Jones & Allison, 2014; Rynne, 2014). Much of this work considers the value of formal (i.e. organised and certified) coach education to be insufficient (e.g. Cushion et al., 2010; Piggott, 2012). Nevertheless, most researchers advocate the continuation of formal programmes, suggesting they are merely one element of coach learning to be supplemented by non-formal (i.e. organised but not certified) and informal (i.e. neither organised nor certified) elements (Côté, Erickson, & Ste-Marie, 2012; Trudel, Gilbert, & Werthner, 2010). The importance of contextualising learning experiences and ensuring coaches experience the most bespoke journey possible is apparent in current research (Cale & Abraham, 2016). Additionally, there is almost universal agreement that learning programmes for performance or talent development coaches should move beyond the historic reliance on technically-based skills to embrace broader, more holistic, developmental perspectives (Galvan, Fyall, & Culpan, 2012). Nevertheless, there is currently insufficient research exploring how to ‘broker’ (Kubiak et al., 2015) a bespoke and holistic learning experience in order to help National Governing Bodies (NGBs), coach developers and other key stakeholders, construct the most valuable journeys for performance or talent development coaches. The specific aim of this investigation was to examine the value created through an 18 month selective talent development coach programme viewed through the theoretical lenses of Landscapes of Practice (LoPs) (Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2015) and the Value Creation Framework (VCF) (Wenger, Trayner, & de Laat, 2011).