ABSTRACT
A raft of pressures and tensions have meant that the landscape of professionalism in sports coaching has been somewhat stifled and narrow in its evolution (Lara-Bercial et al., 2020; Taylor & Garratt 2010a, 2010b). There has been ongoing disagreement about what constitutes sports coaching and somewhat opposing views offered in the academic literature regarding professionalism and professionalisation. Consequently, for coaching to be considered a profession, a somewhat unique identity and discourse are required. The aim of this chapter is to revisit and develop recent writings into the professionalisation of sports coaching – not only in relation to existing issues and debates but also to further examine the nature of coaching and how it could be envisioned and developed as a profession. As such, current developments towards the professionalisation of sports coaching are critiqued, and an alternative vision based principally on the idea of occupational value (Evetts, 2011) and the related notion of amateurism, is proposed.
