ABSTRACT
This chapter starts by presenting the South America general context and its relation with sport coaching development. From this, the Brazilian context was the starting point, once it is the biggest country in this continent and also the one with more coach development publications available and documented initiatives. The second section of the chapter is composed of accounts from a variety of other countries and is based primarily on the survey that we carried out with academic colleagues and coaches. Links are made between the two sections throughout. Higher education seems to have a bigger relevance for coaches in this continent, being mandatory a Physical Education degree in Brazil. The chapter offers an initial overview of the reality of coaching and coach development in South America, which is a portrait of the social, cultural and economic development of the region, marked by profound inequalities and contradictions. Although there are institutions committed to sport development, better working conditions, remuneration and opportunities for coach development, these goods are not distributed equally and do not serve most of the population.
