ABSTRACT
The first edition of this text provided an evaluation of the potential for the professionalisation of sport coaching (Lyle 2002, p. 201). However, since that time critical appraisal of the potential for the professionalisation of sport coaching has been a recurring theme in academic writing in the United Kingdom (Lyle & Cushion 2010; Taylor & Garratt 2010a, 2013; Duffy et al. 2011), what Taylor and Garratt (2013) have called a “fractured and discontinuous call for the organisation and regulation of coaches” (p. 29). A substantial paper by Duffy et al. (2011) and a restatement of the principles therein by the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) (ICCE et al. 2013) appear to adopt what might be construed as a pragmatic but possibly optimistic interpretation of the process. In this chapter we offer a personal perspective on the issue – one that relies for an interpretation of the situation on our 40-year involvement as coach, coach educator, academic and policy maker; an interpretation that it is not intended to be negative, but a realistic evaluation of the potential for moving the debate forward. We have deliberately written the chapter to stimulate debate and discussion.
