Why it’s getting harder to find youth sports coaches

Have you noticed it’s become more difficult to find a coach for your son or daughter’s team, and even more difficult to find one who is trained to a level that will benefit your child in a positive way?

If so, you aren’t alone.

My own family has found this to be true. The Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2023 found there are fewer of those coaches coming out of the COVID pandemic. The report cited five coaching trends.

It’s harder to find people to coach at all levels

We know a large majority of youth sports programs rely on parent volunteers. Aspen noted volunteerism is disappearing and not just in sports.

“Formal volunteer participation in America fell to 23.2 percent between 2019 and 2021, a 7 percent decline that is the largest drop the U.S. Census Bureau has recorded since it began tracking the statistic in 2002,” the report noted.

Even paid coaches are harder to find. California club sport administrators worry they will get “swept up” in legal efforts by unions because many club coaches are contractors. Youth programs could be required to reclassify independent contractors as employees, which could lead to rising participation fees, subsequently making it more difficult for lower income kids to participate.

In addition, organizers say difficult relationships with parents is a key reason fewer people want to coach. In Aspen’s National Coach Survey, football coaches reported the highest level of stress (29 percent), above the national average of 21 percent, maybe because of their lower perceptions of parents than other sport coaches.

Fewer coaches have been trained coming out of the pandemic

According to Aspen, less than one-third of youth coaches in 2022 were trained in the previous year in concussion management, general safety, physical conditioning, sports skills and tactics, and effective motivational techniques. Fewer coaches were trained than in 2019. Only CPR and basic first aid training increased from 2019 (37 percent) to 2022 (42 percent).

Whatever training has been made available, the field needs to be held accountable. For example, the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport and the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, in partnership with Nike, developed a coach training program for Rec and Parks’ Women Coach LA. CHJS trained 40 female coaches for four consecutive Saturdays and paired that with live coaching observation and feedback.

The Million Coaches Challenge, a mix of sports organizations, is committed to training 1 million coaches in youth development.

Only 26 percent of youth sports head coaches in 2022 were female

That’s up only slightly from 24 percent in 2019.

“That’s well below the representation needed as women who coach balance the demands of coaching with work and family life. Even in softball and volleyball, sports predominantly played by girls, about four-of-10 youth coaches are men,” the survey found.

In basketball and soccer, 81 percent of the coaches surveyed were men.

Mental health of athletes at all levels has become a priority

The mental health of athletes at all levels of sport has become a priority. A state law in Ohio requires all school coaches to complete a student mental health training course. Each coach will need to take the training upon renewing their pupil-activity program permit every three to five years.

The goal is to help coaches recognize mental health issues, determine how severe those issues are, and to get the athletes connected with appropriate professionals.

Coaches are looking at new technology and game formats to engage athletes

Quickball, for example, can be played at many different venues and does not require a lot of equipment or large numbers of players.

Any age can play and it has been promoted by Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game activities. It has replaced T-ball in some places.

Pickleball continues to grow, with 1.1 million youth ages 6 to 12 playing the sport in 2022, about the same number playing flag football.

If you are a parent, coach or administrator in youth sports, it would behoove you to study the programs available to you and to become involved in making those programs safe and beneficial for your kids.

Xs and Os are important, yes, but there is much more involved in successful youth sports programs. Check with your recreation departments and other club sport organizations, along with your schools’ athletics departments to see if they are doing everything possible for your child’s positive and enjoyable experience.

Nancy Justis is a former competitive swimmer and college sports information director. She is a partner with Justis Creative Communications and Outlier Creative Solutions and the founder of Iowa Youth Sports Initiative. Contact her at njustis@cfu.net.