Applied Coaching Research Journal Volume 1 | Page 7

APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2018, Vol. 1 transform lives, whether that be the coach, the participant, the local community or wider society. It is hoped that this journal will present research that will enable partner organisations to evidence impact against the five government outcomes, to secure future investment in coaching. It will also publish evaluative reports and research that identify good practice and share lessons learnt from coaching interventions, supporting others to develop and implement similar programmes. Linked to the first government outcome, John McIlroy’s article Promoting the Health Benefits of Being a Coach discusses the dual impact of coaching. Whereas previous research has focused on the health benefits of sport on the participant, this study focuses on the benefits of sport and physical activity on the coach. It is estimated that there are three million active coaches in the UK and 14 million inactive coaches. Coaching benefits a substantial proportion of the UK population and has the potential to benefit many more, thereby contributing to the government out comes. With the launch of the Coaching Plan for England, the development of new professional standards, and the review of the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC), many national governing bodies of sport and other training providers are looking at new ways to improve coach education and engage new audiences. Katy Dray and her colleagues at Canterbury Christ Church University discuss three different approaches to learning in their article Adventures in Coach Learning and consider how they might be used in coach education. It is hoped that by transforming coach learning, it will make learning more attractive and inspire lifelong learning habits, thereby improving the quality of coaching practice and benefiting individual participants and their communities. In 2017, the Learning team at UK Coaching developed and tested a new learning needs analysis tool to support the development of new learning programmes and a new learning and development strategy. The article, Testing a Customised Learning Needs Analysis Tool for Coach Development presents the key findings from the project, which will be further developed at a later date to provide a holistic picture of coach learning needs across the sector. It is hoped this tool will also be used to support other organisations with the same ambition to transform coach learning. workforce. The article presents five key success factors that may help other organisations develop similar programmes and highlights the importance of person-centred learning. Those participating in the programme reported positive benefits, including increased physical activity and confidence, which links back to the government outcomes and John McIlroy’s article on the dual benefits of coaching. Coaching Changes Lives: Evidence from a Social Return on Investment Study by Michael Hopkinson summarises an evaluation of a Level 2 multi-skills qualification using a robust social return on investment methodology, endorsed by Social Value UK. The article demonstrates the benefits of the coach qualification on all government outcomes, including benefits on the coach and the participant. It concludes that the training activities delivered a £3 return for every £1 invested, thereby demonstrating the financial value of coach education. In the final article, Personal Reflections of Coaching Behind Bars, Clare McGregor discusses her own personal journey of mind coaching in prison settings. This is an inspiring story that demonstrates the impact of coaching on some of the most vulnerable members of society. She considers the similarities with sport and physical activity coaches and highlights the importance of softer skills that will play a big part in the future of coach learning. The journal attempts to make coaching research more accessible. It serves to bridge the gap between academic research and coaching practice, presenting good, solid research that is of equal value to the practitioner, the system manager, the researcher and the policymaker. We hope that the journal will provide a platform where researchers working across the sector (in national governing bodies, county sports partnerships [CSPs] and national partner organisations, who might not ordinarily publish their work) will share and celebrate their research. We also hope it will be a useful resource for students and academics. Finally, as editors of this first issue, we would like to thank all of the authors who have shared their research with us. Beth Thompson, UK Coaching Pete Forster’s A Person Like Me article presents the key findings from an evaluation of a project to engage and upskill a new, more diverse coaching 7