ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the procedure and practices employed by national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport in their efforts to quality assure their coach education schemes and delivery. In doing so we will first attempt to locate the origins of this commitment and suggest that sporting organisations, both NGBs and other agencies, are being increasingly influenced by commercial and business-related concepts and practices (Millar & Rose, 2008). Second, we will consider some of the research and movements within the field of quality assurance (QA), drawing on work from outside of sport. Third, we will draw on some research commissioned by The Football Association (FA) in the UK, the aim of which was to move the process of QA away from being seen as one of checking and monitoring standards towards one that can be viewed as a support mechanism that focuses on coach tutor development. The chapter concludes by offering a number of research questions that, hopefully, will inspire future enquiry, and also prompt NGBs and other interested individuals to think critically as they struggle to develop processes that go beyond a sterile application of QA.
