Training Coach Developers for High Performance Sport

sportscotland, as the national agency for sport, passionately believe in the power of sport and the unique contribution it makes to life in Scotland. We invest our expertise, our time, and public funding in developing a world-class sporting system at all levels. 

Since 2012, Scotland and the UK have experienced unprecedented levels of sporting success with best-ever home and away Olympic and Commonwealth Games (London 2012, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2021 and Glasgow 2014, Gold Coast 2018, Birmingham 2022). However, the world of high-performance sport is relentlessly competitive, and the pursuit of excellence is characterised by ever-changing benchmarks, driven by continuous learning, innovation, and collaboration. 

At the heart of this evolution are Scotland's High-Performance Coaches. Their ability to create the right culture, drive innovation, and enable athletes to thrive is fundamental to sustaining competitive advantage. As the landscape of high-performance shifts, coaches require support to be empowered to develop, to challenge convention, and inspire the next generation of athletes. This is why we are committed to fostering environments that support coach learning, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

We recognize that high-performance environments must now operate as living systems — constantly adapting and evolving to stay ahead. Evidence-based learning, reflective practice, and multi-disciplinary collaboration are essential in ensuring Scotland remains at the forefront of global sport. This exciting opportunity represents a pivotal investment in the future success of Scottish sport. By concentrating on high-performance coach development, we aim to unlock new levels of competitive advantage — ensuring that High Performance Coaches, and the environments they shape, remain central to Scotland’s continued sporting success. 

Building on the successful deployment of a small group of endorsed High Performance Coach Developer Practitioners since 2021, through Sport Governing Bodies (SGBs), over 60 coaches have benefited from bespoke 1:1 support. With up to 200 coaches currently leading Pathway & Performance athletes across Scotland, the demand to expand this workforce has never been greater. 

The principal aim of the programme is to cultivate knowledge, skills, attitudes, and expertise in coach developer practitioners. Specifically, delivering the sportscotland High-Performance Coach Developer Practitioner curriculum in accordance with the following principles: 

1) Practitioner capability and reasoning is context dependent. 

2) Appropriateness of using a particular behaviour for a particular context must be considered. 

3) The focus of instructional design is on exploring individual limiters to progression, including the ability to learn, reflect and adapt. 

Critically, the learning design rests upon the ‘Performance Coach Developer Practitioner Curriculum’, developed by Dr. Andrew M. Gillott for sportscotland Institute of Sport in 2018. 

The programme will provide learning opportunities in core competency areas required by the high-performance coach developer, including:  

The approach is based on the application of contemporary learning principles developed through a combination of research evidence and practical experience. The programme design and delivery will utilise a combination of the following: 

Experienced practitioners, with;  

• Relevant experience of high-performance environment(s)  

• Highly transferable capability  

• The desire and commitment to help others understand and develop their coaching practice 

• A capacity to commit to coach developer practice for the foreseeable future  

• The desire and commitment to continually improve their own practice, to contribute to a community of practice and to the high-performance system in Scotland.  

With commitment, you can expect to graduate from the programme with the capability and confidence to:  

• Understand context, strategy, and politics of high-performance environments  

• Understand a coach’s motivations, needs and wants  

• Understand adult learning and development  

• Understand the knowledge, skills and strategies required to support to a coach in their environment  

• Understand your own goals, strengths, and limitations 

A viva voce will form a summative capstone to the learning programme, with practitioners detailing a minimum of 10 hours of their work with one/multiple coach(es) within their portfolio. 

Each professional conversation will be considered against the sportscotland Performance Coach Developer Practitioner Curriculum, for endorsement by sportscotland, and this in turn reflects the Professional Standard for Coach Development Practitioners, established by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). If successful, we can provide an example used in the sportscotland work.