The need for effective coach education programmes is becoming increasingly important for a number of reasons. As the population of children who are interested in participating in youth and interscholastic sport grows, and as female sport and the participation of older people also increase, more qualified coaches and sport instructors are required to help meet the demand. Formal coach education programmes have been developed for various sports in many countries around the world. These programmes have many similarities in content and are typically structured around courses for general coaching theory, sport-specific techniques and tactics, and supervised coaching practice. Continual improvement of these programmes helps ensure that those who are certified are effective and competent. This article, which is based on an examination of the relevant recent literature, highlights the major perspectives and knowledge of the field of coach education. It provides discussions of coach development and the importance of coach education, the design of coach education programmes. Focusing on the sport of athletics, it covers examples of national coach education programmes and the IAAF`s 5-level Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS). It concludes by highlighting key points and giving a number of recommendations for making coach education programmes more effective.
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