Exploring formalized elite coach mentoring programmes in the UK: ‘We’ve had to play the game’

Sawiuk, R, Taylor, W and Groom, NR (2017) Exploring formalized elite coach mentoring programmes in the UK: ‘We’ve had to play the game’. Sport, Education and Society, 23 (6). pp. 619-631. ISSN 1357-3322

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Abstract

Formalized mentoring programmes have been implemented increasingly have been implemented by UK sporting institutions as a central coach development tool, yet claims supporting formal mentoring as an effective learning strategy are often speculative, scarce, ill-defined and accepted without verification. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore some of the realities of formalized elite sports coaching mentoring programmes. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 15 mentors of elite coaches on formal programmes, across a range of sports. The findings were read through a Bourdieusian lens and revealed the importance of understanding the complexities of elite sports coaching environments, that elite sports coach development is highly specific and, therefore, should not be over-formalized, and how current elite sport coach mentoring programmes may be better conceptualized as a form of social control rather than being driven by pedagogical concerns. Following this empirically based analysis of practice, a number of implications for Governing Bodies (GBs), mentors and mentees were considered.