COACHNET - O Plano de Acção
1. Project Summary
The primary objective of the Project is to further develop a structure for the co-ordination of sport coaching at the European level to include stakeholders in the following categories:
- Coaches’ Associations at the National and European level
- Lead national organisations in Sport Coaching
- International Federations at the European level
- Higher education institutions
- Employers of coaches
This network will strengthen cohesion within Sport Coaching with an enhanced emphasis on the ‘voice of the coach’. It will also build on the existing reference points for the education, and development of sport coaches, as well as providing a focal point for representation, research and communication on sport coaching issues at the European level.
The following partners have committed to working together on the project:
P1 United Kingdom Leeds Metropolitan University
P2 Netherlands National Olympic Committee*Netherlands Sports Federation
P3 Finland Suomen Ammattivalmentajat SAVAL
P4 Portugal Confederacao Portuguesa das Associacoes de Treinadores
P5 Germany German Sport University Cologne
P6 Hungary Hungarian Coaching Association
P7 France Institut National du Sport, de l’Expertise et de la Performance
P8 Poland Institute of Sport
P9 Germany Coaches Academy Cologne of the German Olympic Sports Confederation
P10 Spain Consejo Nacional de Entrenadores Deportivos National Council Sport Coaches
P11 Netherlands NLcoach
P12 UK European Athletics Coaches Association
P13 Spain Real Federacion Espanola de Tenis
2. Work Packages
The project action plan is comprised of seven work packages outlining the detailed work which will be carried out between January 2012 and April 2013, as follows:
Work Package 1 – Management and Co-ordination (Lead by Leeds Metropolitan University)
Project management summary reports - April, August and December 2012: All partners to provide status reports at each meeting
Comprehensive project management reports – January to April 2013
Commissioned project management report – January to April 2013
Meetings with the Sport Unit of EU Commission - TBC
Partner meeting 1 – Leeds, 25th – 26th January 2012
Partner meeting 2 – Germany, 17th – 18th April 2012
Partner meeting 3 – Finland, 13th – 14th June 2012
Partner meeting 4 – Poland, November/December TBC
Partner meeting 5 – Leeds, March/April TBC – the final meeting will also include a conference which will provide the platform for the dissemination of the project outcomes
Work Package 2 – Research and Mapping (Lead by Leeds Metropolitan University)
Research and Mapping Methods – February/March 2012: identification of the main coaching organisations across Europe using an agreed template; higher level data collection, using details from prior stage, via an agreed questionnaire to 27 countries; detailed data collection from partners in Finland, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain)
Research and Mapping Implementation – April/May/June 2012: to include exploring the AEHESIS project further to follow-up on the 23 countries involved who said they would be interested in taking part in future projects
Research and Mapping Analysis – July/August 2012: including analysis of similar occupations
Work Package 3 – Best Practice Guide for coaches associations and representation at the national and European level
Models of best practice – February to June 2012: each partner organisation delivered at the first partner meeting on coaching practice within their organisations. A number of viable models for the involvement and representation of coaches have already been identified.
Guidelines and templates – July to December 2012: formalise processes, and circulate papers such as SAVAL’s report ‘Coaching as a Profession’, AEHESIS report and ‘Sport Coaching as a ‘profession’: challenges and future directions’ (Pat Duffy et al, 2011).
Work Package 4 – Revised governance structure for the European Coaching Council (Lead by the Hungarian Coaches Association)
Development of options
Analysis of implications – August to December 2012: advised by the research and mapping process
Revised governance structure – October 2012 to February 2013: revised structure for the European Coaching Council
Role of Coaches Associations
Work Package 5 – Dissemination (Lead by Leeds Metropolitan University)
Stakeholder analysis and dissemination plan – January to March 2012
Development of website – February 2012 to February 2013: a CoachNet logo has been designed and the website will go live in April 2012. This will display each of the partner logos and presentations of best practice from each
Production and dissemination of project materials – September 2012 to April 2013
Work Package 6 – Evaluation (Lead by German Sport University)
Evaluation plan presented at first partner meeting – January/February 2012: to be presented in Cologne by Karen Petry
Evaluation questionnaire for partners - April, August and December 2012; April 2013: interim and final evaluation project reports, based on observations of the external advisor and the advisory panel
Work Package 7 – Exploitation Plan (Lead by Leeds Metropolitan University)
Exploitation action plan – December 2012 to April 2013
3. EU Visibility
As aforementioned, the EU stars have been incorporated into the CoachNet logo, and this has been promoted across all paperwork sent to partners. It is proposed that the EU Sport Unit to has a link on the CoachNet website, and to illustrate the context in which the project sits.
The EU Sport Unit is invited to attend any of the planned partner meetings. It would be particularly helpful if the Unit could attend meeting three, by which time some key themes from the project will be emerging. It is also proposed that a formal invitation is extended to the EU to present at the final meeting (conference) in Leeds; it is also proposed that members of the CoachNet project team visit Brussels after the third partner meeting in June to give an update on progress
A social enterprise entitled ‘Global Coaches House’ is being set-up by the International Council for Coach Education (ICCE) which will comprise of an event taking place during the London Olympic Games. This will provide a meeting and focal point for the coaches and coaching organisations of the world as they attend the Games. The EU Sport Unit is invited to play a role in making the Global Coaches House a success. CoachNet will be provided with a display stand at the event and future opportunities on maximising ‘the voice of the coach’.
There is also the intention to produce jointly branded EU Sport Unit/CoachNet merchandise to be used during and after the CoachNet project such as pens and t-shirts.
For more information on the project, please see the CoachNet website – www.coachnet.eu