Character and Coaching in Sport Conference

Co-hosted by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues and Birmingham City Football Club the conference will centre on character-based coaching in sport, focusing in particular on the role of coaching approaches, coaching systems, and individual coaches in developing the whole person. A central idea that will be engaged with throughout the day will be how sports coaching can, and does, balance the technical, performance, and ethical development of those being coached – from grassroots to elite levels.

This event is particularly interested in “character-based coaching”, or the idea that qualities of character lie at the heart of sports coaching and, in particular, to a person-centred approach. Character-based coaching recognises the importance and value of focusing on the whole person in the coach-coached relationship, as well as the fact that sports coaches act as role models for those with whom they work. Core qualities of character involved include fair play, humility, determination, resilience, courage, integrity, and leadership to name a few.

A key challenge for sports coaching and coaches is how character-based coaching can operate alongside the technical development and performance outcomes that are also fundamental to coaching.

A key purpose of this one-day conference is to help coaches and coaching organisations to think about, discuss, and reflect on the place of character-based coaching with their work.

Through their attendance, participants will be better equipped to explore and develop plans, activities, strategies, and approaches that embed character-based coaching into organisations and cultures.  

For more information, contact jubileecentre@contacts.bham.ac.uk. Speakers and programme for the day will be published soon.