CoachSG launched to offer support and programmes for coaches' professional development
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
CoachSG director Troy Engle, speaking at the launch of CoachSG, an academy for coaches of all levels by Sport Singapore.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Nicole Chia
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE - An academy for coaches of all levels, named CoachSG, was launched on Thursday (May 11) at Joyden Hall at Bugis.
The launch took place on the first day of the inaugural two-day CoachSG conference.
CoachSG aims to enhance and support the development of professional capabilities and standards in coaching.
Plans to launch CoachSG were first unveiled in December, following which nine engagement sessions with almost 200 coaches were conducted to listen to their ideas and feedback on the support they needed.
These sessions were co-facilitated by CoachSG and the Sports Coaches Association of Singapore (SCA).
Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng, who was guest of honour at the launch, said: "Coaches play a key role in every sport. Not only do they teach us the skills of the game, but they also impart important values such as resilience, discipline and teamwork which are applicable both in sports and in life.
"Through CoachSG, we will enhance the capabilities of our coaches, and raise the profile of the profession. This will bring us closer to our shared vision of Singapore as a vibrant sporting nation."
NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) was also unveiled as a key partner of CoachSG, and will work closely with Sport Singapore to support the training programmes under the CoachSG framework.
The partnership will also allow local coaches to enjoy 50 per cent off course fees for coaching programmes in the coming year.
Coaches can also look forward to more activities and workshops that will hone their skills, including a coach developer programme that will be launched later this year.
The programme, which will train instructors and master coaches involved in training other coaches, "aims to improve the quality of instruction our coaches receive", national agency SportSG said in a statement.
In addition, coaches of all medal-winning athletes at major Games - starting from this year's SEA Games and Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur - will receive certificates of accomplishment from CoachSG, with more details to be revealed in the coming months.
CoachSG director Troy Engle said the academy and the Singapore Sports Institute will continue working with coaches through the SCA and its partners in coach education, including Republic Polytechnic and the National Youth Sports Institute, to ensure that the curriculum remains relevant and useful.
"We will also work closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure that coaches in schools are certified and able to provide a safe and inspiring environment to build physical literacy and life skills in partnership with the school," he added.
"We believe that coaches make a big difference in building not just sport skills, but also life skills and we want all Singaporeans to have access to good coaching."
