Applied Coaching Research Journal Research Journal 2 | Page 49

APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2018, Vol. 2
community coaching, which discusses the concept of
a ‘community coach’, considering the various
contexts in which they may work with children,
adolescents and adults. It explores the political
ideology and policy around community sports
coaching. It also examines the coaching skills,
knowledge and attributes required in developing
participation in various community settings, making
it useful for an individual who intends to work at a
community-level, as a community coach.
The authors also use case studies to illustrate
contrasting environments and participants, so
that the reader can understand how a ‘shared
philosophy’ should be adopted as a community
coach. This allows the reader to reflect on their
own coaching practice to better understand how
to develop this shared philosophy, and to be more
supportive and inclusive. It considers how coaching
philosophy can be adapted when coaching different
groups, taking on the role of a ‘social performer’.
“A coach working in several different contexts will
succeed by developing a social identity that is fluid,
flexible and extremely adaptable.”
A second chapter of interest is around community
cohesion through sport and physical activity, which
may be applicable for coaches wishing to take on
community development roles. It provides insight
into how various approaches can be used to provide
accessible and affordable opportunities for sports
participation. The chapter provides the reader with
an understanding of how sport and physical activity
can be used to improve community cohesion, and
critiques the notion that sport and physical activity
can improve social inclusion. In addition, it provides
a real-life case study example of the different
approaches to reducing social exclusion, including
‘doorstep sports clubs’ developed by Street Games.
A chapter which may be useful for managers
in designing community sports programmes is
‘Monitoring and Evaluation’. The chapter covers
what monitoring and evaluation is, why it is
needed, the type of monitoring and evaluation that
should be done, and how it can benefit community
sports programmes in the context of government
health priorities. The chapter includes a section on
developing a logic model, which would be essential
for those managing community projects, as it can
often be difficult to demonstrate the link between
their activities and outcomes for funders. This
section helps the reader to understand what and
when to evaluate. Although aimed at managers,
this chapter may also be of benefit to coaches
who deliver community sports programmes, to
demonstrate the impact of their work.
One chapter within the textbook makes several
assumptions about the reader. However, overall the
text is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making
it an accessible resource for sports management
practitioners, community-level coaches, and
students who intend on working in community-level
sport. Some of the theoretical concepts are repeated
at times across chapters making it repetitive in
parts, but it serves to embed the learning.
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