Elite athletes may be blessed with the athletic prowess to power their way through the sport of their choice, but they also need strong motivation to reach their goals. It's the job of the sports coach to motivate and direct such individuals and teams as they strive for excellence.

There are more than 700 sports coaches working in Western Australia, around 39% of whom are female.

Around 90% of sports coaches work in the Perth metropolitan area, the remainder are spread mainly throughout the South West, Upper Great Southern and Kimberley regions of the State.

There are a number of courses available from universities, TAFE and the Western Australian Department of Sport and Recreation, which provide you with the skills and knowledge required to be a sports coach. A Sport and Recreation traineeship is also available.

Ten seconds to go, scores are tied. Tony Modra marks the ball and executes a perfectly aimed torpedo kick to score the winning goal. At moments like this, Chris Connelly, senior coach of the Fremantle Football Club, is glad that he had taken his team through some carefully prepared drills for goal kicking.


Assessing Players' Needs

''Firstly, you break the sport up, identifying what's needed in terms of physical and mental fitness and strength and skills development. Then you look at the nutritional needs of the players. You also need to be aware of any outside influences that may be affecting them,'' says Pam Glossep, former hockey coach with the Australian Institute of Sport, ''and, at a professional level of competition, sports coaches seek the advice and support of other professionals such as nutritionists, medical practitioners and physiotherapists.''

During a training session, coaches take athletes through their warm-up, drill and cool-down sessions. They discuss tactics or talk to individual players about their performance. Some coaches believe that video recordings of matches are a great teaching tool. Both coach and players get to view the strengths and weaknesses of their game, as well as those of opposing teams.


The Game Plan

On the day of a match, the team is named and a warm up takes place. Throughout the game, a coach keeps a close watch on the way the game develops. They take notes, keep people on the bench involved in the game and put into play any game strategies they have devised.

But the work of a coach doesn't take place just on the field. When not at training, much time is spent in an office, planning and keeping records of training sessions and the performance of individuals and assessing areas where more work is needed.

Organisation is a key skill required of all sports coaches. They have to plan training sessions down to the last minute, and must also coordinate the game strategies of the entire team. If it's a football team, that's more than 22 people.

To ensure that the training regime is going to be effective, you must have a thorough knowledge of the sport that you coach. People skills are also a must, as a large part of the role involves communicating with the team, assistant coaches and related professionals.

For ex-Fremantle Football Club and former Victorian Football League coach Damian Drum, the greatest part of coaching is constantly being surrounded by dynamic people, and being able to assist them to achieve their optimum level of skill.

Providing stimulus, motivation and guidance to each and every player on their team often leaves coaches little time to focus on themselves; And, for a high profile coach, like Damian, being in the media spotlight 24 hours a day was very draining.

So if you are interested in becoming a sports coach, whether it be at an elite level or for a local amateur sports team, be prepared to work hard to get to the top.


Moving Up the Ranks

Typically, sports coaches will have to start out by volunteering their services, or possibly working as an assistant coach. Most state or national coaches have had extensive experience playing at an elite level.

The Australian Sports Commission suggests that the number of full time paid positions is increasing and will continue to do so. However, sports administrator Pam Glossep cautions,

''Employment prospects overall for full-time positions in sports coaching are not great. Most opportunities exist in part-time or assistant coaching positions.''

If you are prepared to travel interstate, national employment prospects are better. This is due to strong employment growth, coupled with a higher turnover in the occupation.

Employment opportunities can be sought from the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Institute of Sport and through state institutes such as the Western Australian Institute of Sport, through sporting clubs, and some opportunities may also exist in schools.

Salaries for sports coaches range from little or nothing as a volunteer, up to and above $200,000 for elite sports coaches. On average, however, professional coaches may earn from around $28,000 per annum, up to approximately $90,000.

There are no specific education requirements to become a sports coach, however, most coaches recommend having a broad knowledge and experience of the sport you want to coach. Increasingly though, sports coaches are encouraged to have formal qualifications in the area.

You may be able to enter sports coaching by undertaking a traineeship in Sport (Coaching). You will need to have completed Year 10. For more information, please contact the Australian Apprenticeships Hotline on 13 38 73 (local call cost).

The Mount Lawley, Albany, Joondalup and Bunbury and Fremantle campuses of TAFE offer the Certificate IV in Sport (Development). The minimum entry requirement is a minimum C grade in four accredited Year 11 (D Code) subjects including an English, or equivalent, or Certificate III in Sport (Coaching) of (Officiating), or equivalent. You will also be required to have a current medical clearance and Senior First Aid Certificate. Each year, around 30 to 40 places are offered in this course.

A number of universities in Western Australia also offer courses relevant to sports coaching. These courses include sports science, human movement, health sciences, health education and many more. For more information on degree courses, contact the relevant university, or check out the universities link in the educational contacts below.

The Western Australian Department of Sport and Recreation offers the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme. Two levels of accreditation are available.

	Other Training Providers
	National Training Information Service website.
	TAFE Colleges
	Homepage links and contact details for all TAFE Colleges in WA.
	TAFE Handbook
	An online guide to full-time TAFE courses available throughout WA.
	Universities
	Homepage links and contact details for all Universities in WA.

WA Department of Sport and Recreation
PO Box 66 Wembley WA 6913 Ph: (08) 9387 9779

West Australian Institute of Sport
PO Box 139 Claremont WA 6010 Ph: (08) 9387 8166 Email: wais@wais.org.au

National Sports Information Centre
PO Box 176 Belconnen ACT 2616 Ph: (02) 6214 1369 Email: nsic@ausport.gov.au

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Pauline Pratt never let the thought of being one of only a few female swimming coaches hold her back from her dream of becoming an Australian nationally accredited coach,

''As a female coach, you have to be thick skinned. As with anything, it's a matter of going out there and proving yourself.''

And that's exactly what she did. She's seen many of the swimmers she coached reach national level. Pauline is currently a head coach for the Cambridge Swimming Club, which she helped start up four years ago.

Pauline discovered her passion for swimming when she was thirteen years old. It was a couple of years later that she discovered her passion for coaching - after reading, 'Forbes Carlyle On Swimming'.

Around that time, Pauline's swimming coach fell ill, so Pauline coached herself for a while and then started taking on others. She went on to complete a coaching course in Ireland, but her initial understanding of coaching was learnt from her favourite book.

''I aim to provide an environment that my swimmers will both enjoy and thrive in,' says Pauline. 'You have to take your role as a coach seriously, because in many cases you are dealing with young minds that need to be nurtured. I would like to think that I support my swimmers in and out of the water.''

Pauline puts the ability to communicate high on the list of prerequisites for a good coach. As well as communicating your skills and knowledge you have to be able to communicate at a personal level, she suggests.

''You have to have the knowledge to improve talent so that it can be used. And you must understand the nature of coaching which is about repetition, continuity, and systematically overloading the system in order to reach a fitness level.''

Pauline adds,

''There is also a psychological aspect to it. You have to encourage your students and be logical, caring and understanding.''

Pauline advises that people interested in becoming a sports coach be prepared to start at the bottom.

''It takes around seven years to produce a swimmer or an athlete and it takes just as long to fine tune yourself as a coach,'' she says.

While seven years may seem like a long time, if you think you've got what it takes to be a sports coach, keep at it! You never know, the seven-year-old child that you teach to swim today, may be the next Shane Gould, winning gold for Australia at a future Olympic Games.