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This year could be a landmark one for youth sports. The Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) seeks to train one million new youth coaches in 2025 — a monumental task that seeks to spark major change in sports communities.
Funded by the Susan Crown Exchange, a Chicago-based philanthropic organization that supports nonprofits “that prepare youth to thrive in a rapidly changing world,” the MCC is backed by 14 partner organizations that include the National Recreation and Park Association, Little League International, the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, Girls on the Run International and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation.
“While most coaches recognize the key role they play in promoting youth development, they often don’t feel supported in doing so,” notes the MCC website. “Coaches report that existing trainings are either too costly, too time consuming, too hard to implement or fail to incorporate youth development practices. The majority of coach training that exists is designed to win games — not necessarily to help kids thrive.”
Indeed, according to MCC, fewer than one third of the country’s six million coaches have been trained in youth development practices. And that’s a missed opportunity, challenge leaders say. “We envision a world in which all young athletes, regardless of their family’s income, their gender, their race, or their ability status, have access to coaches who are well-versed in youth development and skill-building techniques that help kids succeed on and off the field,” the website states.
Perhaps not surprisingly, California is taking the lead. In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced that the California Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-being teamed up with MCC to launch 25×25: The California Coaches Challenge. The goal is to train 25,000 coaches across the state by the end of this year.
Through the Council’s “Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind” campaign, MCC partners Positive Coaching Alliance and the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport are spearheading a statewide effort to instill the principles of positive youth development, social-emotional learning, healing-centered practices and culturally responsive coaching in youth coaches. This, according to state officials, includes a range of youth-centered strategies such as creating safe spaces for all young people, fostering a sense of belonging and coaching with empathy.
The American Institutes for Research, which leads the multiyear implementation study of the MCC, will provide research support for the 25×25 California Coaches Challenge.
“Sports are a hugely important tool for helping kids develop teamwork, confidence, and physical and mental health, while also meeting strong role models in their coaches,” Newsom said when announcing the statewide initiative. “As leaders, we have an obligation to make sure those coaches have the tools to meet that high bar.”
“California is setting a powerful example for the country,” added Kevin Connors, managing director of the Susan Crown Exchange. “This initiative will help ensure that hundreds of thousands of young athletes experience sports in ways that promote physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.”
Other states are actively involved in the Million Coaches Challenge, too. For example, according to MCC officials, youth sports leaders in Maryland, Indiana and Kansas are building infrastructure to develop and improve coach education, policy and training (with facilitation by LiFEsports at The Ohio State University and the Coach Beyond coach training and education program, which has trained more 15,000 Ohio coaches in positive youth development practices).
In May, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill mandating mental health training for all public high school and college coaches — only the second state to pass such legislation, behind Ohio.
“This work is more important than ever,” Dr. Jay Goldstein, the lead on Maryland’s MCC project, said last year. “A lot of good can come from this work that will ultimately be good for kids.”
A diverse group of leaders in Maryland youth sports — including the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, and University Health Center, leaders from the National Center for School Mental Health, SHAPE America, Alston for Athletes and other prominent UMD alumni — are auditing the youth sport landscape. They are conducting a statewide needs assessment survey, training 7,500 coaches in positive youth development practices, and identifying opportunities to improve policy implementation and governance guiding youth sports.
In Indiana, meanwhile, Ball State University is leading efforts to gather data, analyze policies, and provide training and education for coaches across the state. This includes working with community-based organizations and the Indiana High School Athletic Association to ensure all Indiana coaches have access to youth development training.
Kansas also has a team of leaders from the Kansas High School Activities Association (KSHSAA), the Greater Wichita Athletic League, Wichita Public Schools and other local districts to gather statewide data on gaps in coaches’ needs, interests and most pressing concerns — which includes mental health.
“I have done several speaking engagements with coaches, administrators, and school staff across the state,” said Dr. Anne Weese, director of mental wellness and sport psychology at Kansas State University. “After each talk, a line forms with questions and concerns from our school staff on how to help their students. Our coaches and administrators appear to be craving this type of training.
Click here to get involved in the Million Coaches Challenge.
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