Inclusive Coaching

What is ‘inclusive coaching’?

A coach needs to be able to organise, observe, analyse, communicate, and provide solutions and strategies that enable footballers to improve their performance, a good coach must also be inclusive.

Being responsive to various situations is part of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to maximise their potential.

Rather than focus on individual impairments and plan sessions as a response to this, coaches can concentrate instead on changes to the activity to make it more accessible to a range of abilities. This can be achieved in various ways.

Inclusive coaching, therefore, is no more than good coaching practice.

Qualities and skills of an inclusive coach

Think for a moment about the kind of qualities and skills that everyone would recognise in a competent coach.

Qualities include:

• Patience — recognising that some athletes will take longer to develop skills or make progress than others
• Respect — acknowledging difference and treating all footballers as individuals
• Adaptability — having a flexible approach to coaching and communication that recognises individual differences

Skills include:

• Organisation — recognising the importance of preparation and planning
• Safe practices — ensuring that every session, whether with groups or individuals, is carried out with the athletes’ safety in mind
• Knowledge — possessing the ability to utilise knowledge of appropriate practices and how to modify them in order to maximise the potential of every athlete.

Tips for coaches working with players with a disability

• People with disabilities have the right to participate in football. They are very capable of being involved and can tell the coach what they are able to do.
• The basic principles of coaching apply when coaching footballers with a disability. Provided the coach is prepared to accept each player as an individual.
• The needs, strengths and weaknesses of individuals will differ. The coach should assess each person’s aspirations, needs and ability and plan a training program accordingly.
• It is not necessary to acquire extensive knowledge of the disability. The coach needs to understand how the impairment affects the player’s performance and be able to plan and deliver a training program that best suits the player.
• Effective communication is essential, especially for players who have sensory or intellectual disabilities.
• Do not under-estimate ability. Set realistic and challenging goals as you would for all players.

Click to to download the ASC’s DEP Activity Cards