COACH DEVELOPMENT IN WORLD ATHLETICS

The Global Athletics Coaching Academy (GACA) is an entity of World Athletics (formerly the International Amateur Athletics Federation; IAAF) that has been established to represent the coaching workforce within the sport of (track & field) athletics. The primary aim of the Global Athletics Coaching Academy is to develop athletics coaches worldwide by growing a community that connects coaches, facilitates access to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) events, and promotes informed initiative in advancing athletics coaching. The professionalisation of coaches and coaching is central to the remit of GACA. The strong intent is to promote the contribution of coaches and their professional development. It is important to note that, GACA’s vision for Coach Development is that every athlete, wherever they reside, will have access to a coach competent and skilled to ensure the athlete achieves a performance goal commensurate with their potential. The chapter is an attempt to communicate the ongoing work of GACA in promoting capacity and capability within the coaching workforce in track and field athletics across the world in over 200 countries. The Global Athletics Coaching Academy is fully committed to ongoing evaluations and subsequent change in the curriculum, pedagogy/andragogy, and assessment of our offerings to enhance the quality of coaches and coaching in our workforce.