Coach Developers and Performance Analysts
The Coach Developer and Performance Analyst Research Group focuses on contributing to the professional education and role development of these emerging professions. The group draws on a range of educational and social psychology theories to facilitate sport coaches’ and performance analysts’ learning.
About the group
Through generating collaborative research with some of the UK’s most influential National Sport Organisations (e.g., UK Sport, UK Coaching), National Governing Bodies (e.g., The Football Association, British Rowing) and professional clubs (e.g., Wolverhampton Wanderers), this research group also seeks to shape how sport coaches’ and performance analysts’ roles evolve with the ever-changing nature of contemporary sport.
Research themes
Professional learning of coaches and Coach Developers
Research within this theme explores value creation in coaches' and Coach Developers' Landscapes of Practice. Group members work with a wide range of external partners to explore the planning, delivery and evaluation of formal, informal and non-formal experiences. Recent research has included the contemporaneous evaluation of UK Sport's Coaching in High Performance Sport (CiHPS) programme which sort to enhance the practice of some of Great Britain's leading coaches as they prepare for Paris 2024 and Milano-Cortina 2026.
Over the last five years, we have also planned, delivered, and evaluated a learning programme for Coach Developers within the Football Association.
In both of these projects we have sought to utilize the latest (fourth) iteration of Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner’s (2020) social theory of learning, drawing explicitly on the concepts of identity and boundary interactions.
By exploring the concepts of framing and learning loops within the Value Creation Framework we are privileged to help facilitate the ongoing professional development and practice of a wide range of coaches and Coach Developers across the UK.
The role and function of Performance Analysts
Our performance analysis research aims to advance the professional education and development of performance analysts. We explore the role and function of performance analysts through three key research areas.
- Development of the Applied Performance Analyst: We shed light on development routes, the role of the performance analyst mentor, job adverts, and relationships between key individuals to enhance the skills of the analyst.
- Enhancing Learning and Decision-Making through Performance Analysis: We investigate how performance analysts use tools and resources, including the use of telestration, player and coach perception, and the effectiveness of performance analysis provisions, seeking to help individuals strengthen their processes.
- Determinants of Success: We analyse previous performances through a tactical-technical-physical lens to understand complex interactions and provide insights into potential marginal gains.
Over the last five years, our research has fallen into these three areas with the knowledge gained, regarding the key technical and tactical determinants of success, having directly impacted on how teams prepare strategically for competition on the world stage. This includes how analysts use the best software to ensure accurate and meaningful feedback is provided. More recently, we have turned our attention to how the objective data and information gained from performance analysis is perceived and used by coaches, athletes, and member of the wider support team. This work has also explored the importance of relationships, trust, micro-politics, and power in delivering an effective performance analysis provision that enhances learning and decision-making. By connecting these themes back to the role and function of the analyst, we have helped and will continue to help strengthen the awareness of performance analysis, continual leading to strategic changes at both national and international level.
Key Publications
Professional learning of coaches and Coach Developers
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Simpson, Harley-Jean, Edwards, Christian., Vinson, Don, and Cale, Andrew. (2024) “You can stay now, you are trusted”: navigating qualitative fieldwork in sport coaching. Sports Coaching Review. pp. 1-23. ISSN eISSN: 2164-0637; pISSN: 2164-0629.
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Burgess, Beth., Vinson, Don., Molnár, Győző, and Richardson, Emma (2024) The realities of utilising participatory research and creative methods to explore the experiences of non-heterosexual coaches. Sports Coaching Review. pp. 1-13. ISSN 2164-0629
- Vinson, Don., Bradshaw, A. and Cale, A. (2024) Value Creation in a Coach Developer Social Learning Space: Stories of openness and making a difference. International Sport Coaching Journal, AOP. pp. 1-15. ISSN Print: 2328-918X; Online: 2328-9198
- Danielsen, L.D., Jakobsen, A.M., Peters, D.M. and Høigaard, R. (2023) Considerations Perceived by Coaches as Specific to Coaching Elite Women’s Soccer Teams. Scandinavian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 5. pp. 1-9. ISSN 2596-741X
- Richardson, S. J., McRobert, A. P., Vinson, Don., Cronin, C. J., Lee, C. and Roberts, S. J. (2023) Systematic Review of Sport Coaches’ and Teachers’ Perceptions and Application of Game-Based and Constraints-Led Pedagogy: A Qualitative MetaStudy. Quest. ISSN Print: 0033-6297 Electronic: 1543-2750
- Vinson, Don., Navin, Anita, Croad, Alison, Turnnidge, Jennifer and Côté, Jean (2023) Understanding the Leadership and Environmental Mechanisms in a Superleague Netball Club. The Sport Psychologist. ISSN 0888-4781 Online: 1543-2793
- Pritchard, Rhys and Morgan, K. (2022) Developing coach education to enhance rugby coaches’ understanding and application of game centred approaches—The importance of questioning. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. pp. 1-10. ISSN 1747-9541 Online ISSN: 2048-397X
- Vinson, Don , Simpson, Harley Jean and Cale, Andrew (2022) “I felt I’d lost myself - not really knowing who I was”: Coach Developer learning as negotiating identity through engagement, imagination and alignment. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN Print ISSN: 1357-3322 Online ISSN: 1470-1243
- Vinson, Don , Huckle, Victoria and Cale, Andrew (2021) “I’ve had a magical journey”: understanding how international sports coaches learn through cross-sport boundary encounters. Sports Coaching Review, 10 (2). pp. 177-202. ISSN 2164-0629
- Bradshaw, A., Vinson, Don and Cale, Andrew (2020) Value creation in the coach developer landscape. Applied Coaching Research Journal, 5. pp. 14-17.
- De Martin Silva, L. and Francis, John (2020) "It is like a little journey”: Deaf international futsal players’ and coaches' experiences in collaborative blended learning. International Sport Coaching Journal, 8 (2). pp. 183-196. ISSN Print 2328-918X Online 2328-9198
- Navin, A., Vinson, Don , Croad, A., Turnnidge, J. and Côté, J. (2020) The Birth of the Stars: A Participatory and Appreciative Action and Reflection Investigation into the Leadership and Development of a New Superleague Netball Club. The Sport Psychologist, 34 (3). pp. 220-231. ISSN 0888-4781 Online: 1543-2793
- Navin, A. and Vinson, Don (2020) Seeking consensus regarding the characteristics of expertise and development requirements across five domains of netball coaching in the United Kingdom. International Journal of Applied Sports Sciences, 32 (1). pp. 69-90. ISSN 2233-7946 (Online) 1598-2939 (Print)
- Vinson, Don and Parker, A. (2020) Christian sports coaches and servant leadership. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16 (2). pp. 304-316. ISSN 1747-9541 (print) 2048-397X (eISSN)
- Danielsen, L.D., Giske, R., Peters, D.M. and Høigaard, R. (2019) Athletes as ‘Cultural Architects’: A Qualitative Analysis of Elite Coaches` Perceptions of Highly Influential Soccer Players. The Sport Psychologist, 33 (4). pp. 313-322. ISSN Print: 0888-4781 Online: 1543-2793
- Vinson, Don and Parker, A. (2019) Vygotsky and Sports Coaching: Non-linear Practice in Youth and Adult Settings. Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education, 10 (1). pp. 91-106. ISSN Print: 2574-2981 Online: 2574-299X
The role and function of Performance Analysts
- Francis, John , Kyte, Jamie and Bateman, Michael (2024) The role of the analyst: Comparative analysis of Applied Performance Analyst job advertisements in the UK and Ireland (2021-2022). International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. ISSN Print: 2474-8668 Electronic: 1474-8185
- Smith, Jordan, Rands, Steve, Bateman, Michael and Francis, John (2022) Assessing the Efficacy of Video Telestration in Aiding Memory Recall Among Elite Professional Football Players. Sports Innovation Journal, 3. pp. 61-81. ISSN 2688-3961
- Andersen, Lasse Winther, Francis, John and Bateman, Michael (2021) Danish Association Football Coaches’ Perception of Performance Analysis. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 22 (1). pp. 149-173. ISSN 1474-8185
- Francis, John , Owen, A. and Peters, D.M. (2021) Predicting field-goal success according to offensive, defensive and contextual variables in elite men’s wheelchair basketball. PLoS One, 16 (1). ISSN Print 1932-6203 Online 1932-6203
- Loo, J.K., Francis, John and Bateman, Michael (2020) Athletes’ and coaches’ perspectives of performance analysis in women’s sports in Singapore. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20 (6). pp. 960-981. ISSN 1474-8185
- Francis, John , Owen, A. and Peters, D.M. (2019) Making Every "Point" Count: Identifying the Key Determinants of Team Success in Elite Men’s Wheelchair Basketball. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. p. 1431. ISSN Online: 1664-1078
- Francis, John , Owen, A. and Peters, D.M. (2019) A New Reliable Performance Analysis Template for Quantifying Action Variables in Elite Men’s Wheelchair Basketball. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. Article-16. ISSN Online: 1664-1078
Current opportunities
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Fully-funded PhD studentships with the Coach Developer and Performance Analyst Research Group will be advertised here.
Approaches from self-supporting PhD students are accepted all year round. Please contact Dr Matthew Cook for an informal discussion.
Get in touch
For more information on our research or opportunities please get in touch with Don at: d.vinson@worc.ac.uk