APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2020 , Vol . 6
“ It is very much a case of trying to give as much opportunity as possible to all those with potential , and so keeping the pathways as open as possible .”
“ Where I saw it working well is where an Academy Manager had very good relationships with key schools , lots of clubs and the way they talent spotted if you like , was over a number of years people would just ring up and go , ' by the way , we ’ ve got this good player , come and have a look '. He said , if he heard that three times over a year or a couple of years , then he ’ d go and have a look . It ’ s just being well-connected and it naturally creates this big net where players just develop over time and they ’ re not lost .”
Discussions also centred on the need to create inclusive environments , where diversity is valued and where every learner feels safe , secure and a sense of belonging . The importance of learners being able to express themselves and being accepted for who they are was also highlighted .
“ They have to be innovative , have to be caring , have to be supportive … you ’ ve got to create an environment where players want to be .”
“ That ’ s where the term psychological safety comes from – ‘ I feel supported and I feel like I belong here ’ and it ’ s that belonging bit for me , it ’ s massive .”
“ The foundation of it is one where you feel secure , one where you feel safe , one where you feel there ’ s mutual respect .”
Fundamentally , creating an environment where people want to go , and where they feel welcome and included , is key .
6 . Adaptive to individual needs
A similar theme to emerge from discussions was a recognition that learning and development is unpredictable and rarely linear : people progress at different rates , at different times .
“ I think a big problem is the motivation to have things nice and tidy and neat , in that here is the participation bit and here is the performance bit and here is the talent bit and here is where coaches work and here is what they do . Development is nonlinear , so it doesn ’ t necessarily fit into something like that . In fact , there are lots of roundabouts and side alleys that the best players should be able to take to get there . If we make things very linear on the pathway or within the model , then we lose some of the potential diamonds , because they don ’ t fit in . And actually , the best ones rarely fit in , so we ’ re bound to lose them if our pathway is like that .”
Discussions centred around the need for development pathways to have some degree of flexibility in order to respond to the changing needs of the individual . The point was made that development systems need to avoid being too rigid , and more malleable and sensitive to individual learning and development .
“ The idea that the environment is going to change based on how the learner and individual is changing , I think that is a critical one . If we can get that right , then a lot of other problems solve themselves .”
While it was recognised that the development pathway needs some structure , and pathway opportunities should be clear , visible and plannedout , individuals should be able to move in , out and through the system with ease .
“ Once an athlete is in the system and they might drop out of the system , there may be something going on in their lives or something has happened , that they ’ ve always got this view that the door is open for them to be brought back in again , so it ’ s not an all or nothing thing .”
“ There are always examples of players leaving the system , talented and high ability performers leaving the system , because the system is not flexible enough to cater for their needs .”
“ If you ’ re on a pathway and you ’ re cut , you will not return to that sport . In other words , you ’ re out of sport . You lose all interest because you ’ ve invested so much ... then you are suddenly crushed .”
As such , providing alternative options and multiple entry , exit and re-entry points , was regarded a key priority for a number of research participants . This helps to sustain engagement and a love of sport , even if people drop out of the pathway temporarily .
7 . Alignment and coherence across the pathway
Another key theme to emerge throughout the focus groups was one of alignment and coherence across
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