Applied Coaching Research Journal Volume 1 | Page 33
APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2018, Vol. 1
Conclusions
Overall, the project objective to develop
new, innovative delivery methods that
gave participants the appropriate skills and
tools to start delivering physical activities
in their communities was achieved.
Partners were instrumental in providing support to
participants and the project’s sustainability relies
on partners’ capacity to support and retain the
workforce. The partners involved highly valued the
work and were keen for it to continue.
The project identified an approach to
recruiting, training and supporting a new,
more diverse, workforce mainly though
partnership working. It has developed a training
package that offers a more informal way
into coaching physical activity. In addition, it
established a community-based programme
that targets mums to become more active. The early findings from this project are very
promising. Feedback from both partners and
participants were extremely positive and the
data shows that two-thirds of START participants
became more physical active as a result of the
training. However, due to the small numbers
participating in the project (c70), as well as
the limitations of the evaluation, the results
should be treated with some caution.
The approach to recruiting the workforce relied on
partnership working with organisations that had
positive engagement with the targeted communities.
Partners played a key role in facilitating the training,
thereby creating an easier route into the coaching. Acknowledgement
This article is based on an Evaluation of A Person
Like Me, completed by Dr Ludvigsen of Ludvigsen
McMachon on behalf of Sport Nottinghamshire in
September 2017.
The project developed a creative and practical
training offer that upskilled participants from hard
to reach groups to start delivering physical activity
in their communities. It used a person-centred
approach and built on participants’ own experiences
and aspirations. References
1
https://www.sportengland.org/media/10629/sport-
england-towards-an-active-nation.pdf
2
https://www.sportengland.org/media/11317/
coaching-in-an-active-nation_the-coaching-plan-
for-england.pdf
The project worked with underrepresented groups
from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Over
half of those on the START programme were female
and a quarter had a disability. Contact
Pete Forster – [email protected]
33