Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Centre of Social Justice in Sport and Society
The impetus for this project, centred on sport national governing bodies (NGBs) and organisational change, was grounded in a broader concern with the current diversity and representation within our UK coaching workforce. The consensus is that the coaching profession has long been, and continues to be, a white male-dominated occupation.
Within the UK, the statistic remains that only one in five qualified coaches are women. Recent figures reveal that one in 10 accredited Olympic sport coaches are women. Research has further reported a disproportionate underrepresentation of Black and minoritised ethnic and / or disabled sport coaches. This underrepresentation persists despite an improvement in wider social attitudes and legislation towards equality and diversity within UK society (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2010) and the action in response to this legislative pressure by sporting organisations and national governing bodies. Since the introduction of the 2010 Equality Act by the UK Government, within sport and coaching there has been an increasing interest in and emergence of equalities on the agenda of policy makers and organisations as part of a broader trend towards mainstreaming equality across the sectors. Sporting governing bodies and organisations are seemingly providing more opportunities for minority groups and individuals to access the ‘system’. However, research shows that the engagement of sport organisations in operationalising equality legislation and standards into practice has yet to fully impact the diversity of its workforce. Despite drives to enable more underrepresented groups to access sport and coaching, such as increasing the number of women within the coaching profession, there is a continued persistence to target underrepresented groups and provide extra programmes and services, rather than enact deep structural and cultural change within organisations themselves.
the approach
For an organisation to act as an agent of change, it must have certain capabilities and cultural attributes. The aim of this programme was to help organisations develop a blueprint for a new and comprehensive Coach Workforce Strategy that would bring about long term change in how they attract, recruit, manage, develop, and retain the best coaching talent at all levels. To achieve this aim, an evidence-based programme of workshops was created in partnership with UK Coaching and 12 national sport governing bodies (specifically, heads of coaching, heads of performance etc). The programme was interactive and experiential, drawing on contemporary research findings from neuroscience, change management, sport psychology, sport sociology, and models of behavioural change to engage and empower attendees.
the impact
Through the ‘Changing the Culture Series’, NGBs reported making a number of changes to how they operated. These changes included the initiation of formal women in coaching action group and programme in two NGBs, an initiation of an organisational review of the tutor workforce in relation to diversity in one NGB, initiation of a review into the resources available to existing women coaches in one NGB and a review of coach education in another NGB to ensure it is fit for purpose and delivers a return on investment for women coaches, the creation of a network of change champions for gender equity in coaching for one NGB, an increase in awareness and confidence to engage across departments and the Board to put gender equity on the strategic agenda in three NGBs, and an increased understanding of organisational culture, organisational change, and unconscious bias in coach recruitment for all 12 NGBs.
The course helped us consider how to better reach our audiences traditionally but also through the hiring of diverse staff. We’ve also given more thought about making our sport more approachable – the way we promote [the sport] and through which channels, and we’ve redesigned our resources to become more accessible by people at all levels
Study for a research degree at Leeds Beckett and you'll join a thriving academic community in an inspiring and supportive environment. The Graduate School supports our increasingly active postgraduate research community and encourages students to make a difference to the university’s research culture and environment.
Leeds Beckett University can conduct research on your behalf to help you to implement change and realise your business potential. Validating your ideas with academic evidence can be an essential part of winning contracts and fuelling business growth.
