Volunteers may need to fill sports coaching gap

Demand for properly qualified coaches may outstrip supply because of increased interest in the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the sport minister has heard.

Shona Robison was asked if she thinks volunteers will have to take on roles in community sport supposed to be filled by people with formal training.

The concern was raised by Bob Doris, deputy convener of Holyrood’s health and sport committee, who said: “I fully support the professionalisation and the certification of best practice in coaching, but if it’s not possible to fully meet that demand, are we going to have to look more at volunteer coaches working towards qualification?”

Government agency sportscotland aims to make coaching more professionally regulated and will assess supply and demand, according to its framework for the years 2011-15.

Ms Robison, minister for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, said: “There is a balance to be struck. You have to make sure that clubs are run in a proper way and people have the right training and support. It was why the framework was developed.

“The whole volunteer workforce is key to all of that. People volunteer at different levels. Some will want to become coaches, some will want to help with the club in a more informal way.”

The committee has previously heard from Andy Murray’s tennis coach mother Judy Murray and former distance runner Liz McColgan. They both warned that more effort must be put into supporting young people with accessible, affordable facilities and quality coaching.