enabled us to consider how we make support more readily available and has been critical in the launch of our YouTube channel , and the current work we are undertaking on our digital platforms .
Within this discovery work we also start to consider whether our design approaches are likely to sit on the push-pull spectrum ( Shackleton-Jones , 2019 ). When we know what coaches are doing ( tasks ) and what they are concerned or challenged by , we can then know what they care about . That means we can apply ‘ pull ’ techniques , providing them with the appropriate resources and guidance that they desire : session plans or YouTube videos for example . Where we may want to influence what coaches care about , we can apply ‘ push ’ approaches : specific feedback or the opportunity to observe different coaching practice .
It is well known that implementing change within coach education in football can be challenging ( Chapman et al ., 2019 ) and so trying to implement these initial two stages ( Define and Discover ) has not been easy , and it is very much a work in progress . It is challenging and rooted in the cultural legacy of a qualification-centric approach outlined above . What it has certainly done , even in these early stages , is move us away from thinking about topics and content , placing greater focus and consideration on the context of coaches , specifically their tasks and concerns that speak to the day-to-day realities of their role . This insight , alongside the critical success factor of a clear , aligned player development approach , and a coach development learning framework , are key to us making the successful shift to an effective learning landscape .
Summary
The two years of Covid were turbulent and challenging for us all . Our known way of being has been disrupted on every level , we have had to adapt and think differently . Within my world of Learning and Development it has , however , stimulated us to think differently – to test , learn and reimagine how we could help construct a system that helps coaches in their development . It is critical that we continue to evolve the systems and learning culture that coaches engage with to ensure it genuinely supports them and provides the appropriate signposting and opportunities that help them and their players . As Stodter and Cushion ( 2017 , p . 334-335 ) conclude in their research on coach education in football , ‘ individualised , contextually and practically relevant learning opportunities are key for learning ’, yet Dempsey et al ( 2021 ) highlight the continuing tension between the historic need for content and assessment driven structures versus a shift towards more learner-centred education . Therefore , we must continue to innovate in our attempts at creating a landscape of opportunities , allowing coaches to tread their own path and create their own route , rather than following the formal , structured pathway they have come to expect .
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