ABSTRACT
The design and implementation of organized sporting programs are important influences on developmental outcomes for young participants. While policy makers, sports organizations, parents, and coaches all have an important role to play in the promotion of positive outcomes. This chapter focuses on the role of the coach. Specifically, it provides an overview of a comprehensive set of strategies that may be used by coaches to promote Positive Youth Development (PYD), including a range of promotion-based approaches and complementary harm-minimization strategies. Coaches have an important and influential role in the promotion, prevention, and early intervention for mental health among young people. Future research focus on the formulation of coach education programs that are evidence and theory-based, incorporate reflection as a core component, meet the needs of coaching practitioners, and that are scalable and sustainable. This might also include adapting the traditional harm-minimization strategies to include a PYD approach.
