Identifying the primary criteria for entering the formal sports coach education programs

This qualitative study aimed to identify the general requirements and main criteria for admission to formal sports coaching education programs.

The study utilized an exploratory qualitative design, with semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method. Qualitative thematic analysis was employed as an analytical strategy to identify, analyze, and report patterns or themes that emerged from the data. Eighteen experienced experts involved in coach education were selected through a purposeful sampling procedure and participated in the research work.

The study identified three high-level themes that represent the general requirements and criteria for admission to the formal sports coaching education programs "prerequisites," "human skills," and "ethical orientation." The prerequisites included having a background related to the sport, interest, and age. Effective communication with people, paying attention to the socio-cultural characteristics of athletes, and mutual and appropriate understanding of athletes were identified as the human skills required. The sub-themes of ethics included compliance with ethical issues, the role of being a model, not having an unethical history, helping athletes to develop ethics, being committed and trustworthy, and having a coaching philosophy.

 The study's findings suggest that by considering the proposed criteria, the initial selection of candidates interested in entering formal sports coaching education programs can be modified, resulting in the training of higher-quality coaches with a greater capacity to improve athlete performance.