ABSTRACT
The introduction to this book emphasises the pressing need to clearly define and critically analyse the legal duty of care incumbent upon sports coaches. This represents a dynamic complexity of coaching practice yet to be exposed to sustained treatment in the extant literature. The concept of duty of care originates and evolves at common law, and so it is the intersection between the ordinary law of negligence and sports coaching that demands detailed scrutiny. To this end, the introduction outlines the methodological design utilised in this book. This involves an interdisciplinary approach within a broader sociolegal methodological framework in order to uncover authentic insights of practical importance. Given the extensive cross-pollination of tortious principles between different countries, and a reasonableness standard which is a ubiquitous fixture of the common law, the arguments presented are intended to transcend jurisdictional boundaries. Consequently, those interested in sports law are provided with a detailed scrutiny of legal principles and case law that will be of strong persuasive authority. Moreover, the rigorous analysis of this context-specific area of the law ensures that readers with a more focused interest in coaching practice are presented with instructive scenarios relating to common challenges frequently encountered by coaches throughout the world.
