Sport coaching in Australia is undergoing unprecedented change at all levels of participation. The demand for the development of high quality coaches has emerged as a key issue for sport administrators and managers and yet we know little about the way Australian coaches work and develop themselves. As a coach and coach educator the following report on the Australian coaching workforce titled "Profiling the Australian Coaching Workforce" provides equal measures of comfort and alarm. It`s re-assuring to see the main reason we coach has not changed but the reasons coaches cite for discontinuing coupled with the high rate of coach drop-out across sports means we are not capitalising on their experience and expertise just when we need it most. This report is essential reading for sport policy makers, sport educators, sport researchers and coaches alike. (Forward) The aim of this research was to collect population data about the Australian coaching workforce across all levels of sport participation to inform coach development policy, implementation and management at national, state and community levels. The following research questions regarding work related to coaching provided a framework for this research: 1. How much work and what type of work do coaches actually do? 2. What is the personal and financial investment coaches make to do their work? 3. What rewards do coaches receive from their work? 4. What are coaches` aspirations and development needs? Contents: 1. Executive Summary 2. Australian Coaching Workforce Demographics 3. Coach Employment 4. The Coaching Environment 5. Coach Administration and Tasks 6. Coaching motivations, Rewards and Costs 7. Coach Learning and Developmental Needs 8. Coaching Futures 9. Conclusions and Recommendations
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