Leadership in Sport: Creating the Next Generation of Leaders Through Coaching

Leadership within sport is often romanticised – associated with captains delivering rousing speeches or coaches making decisive tactical calls. Yet genuine leadership development runs far deeper. It is not simply about authority, charisma, or results, but about the consistent behaviours, communication, and environments that shape individuals into people others want to follow. For coaches, the challenge lies in moving beyond technical instruction to deliberately cultivate leadership as an integral part of athlete development.

Understanding Leadership in a Sporting Context

Leadership in sport is inherently complex. It can be formal (e.g. team captains, coaches) or informal (e.g. players influencing peers through example). As Northouse (2022) describes, leadership is fundamentally a process of influence — an interaction between leader and follower in which goals are aligned through mutual respect and shared purpose. Within team environments, this process is magnified by the emotional intensity of competition and the necessity for collaboration.

In recent decades, the focus within sport has shifted away from autocratic leadership models toward more relational and transformational approaches. Transformational leadership, as outlined by Bass and Riggio (2006), emphasises motivation, inspiration, and moral purpose. It encourages followers to exceed expectations by appealing to shared values rather than authority. In sport, this manifests as coaches who promote autonomy, challenge athletes intellectually, and show genuine care for their development both on and off the pitch.

Research by Gould and Voelker (2012) demonstrates that transformational leadership behaviours are strongly linked with increased athlete motivation, team cohesion, and self-confidence. When athletes feel valued and heard, they develop the confidence to take initiative, communicate effectively, and assume leadership responsibilities themselves — essential traits for lifelong success.

The Coach as a Leadership Developer

Coaches are uniquely positioned to act as leadership developers. Beyond delivering technical and tactical instruction, coaches influence how athletes perceive challenges, make decisions, and relate to others. Jones, Bailey, and Thompson (2013) suggest that coaching is a socially constructed practice, built on relationships, communication, and shared meaning. In this sense, coaches function as both educators and role models, shaping the culture that allows leadership to emerge naturally.

Creating this environment requires deliberate structure. Martens (2012) argues that effective coaches “teach life through sport,” embedding values such as empathy, accountability, and composure into their daily practice. When athletes are invited to lead warm-ups, run small group discussions, or reflect on team performance, they experience first-hand the challenges and responsibilities of leadership. These opportunities encourage problem-solving, self-regulation, and social awareness — all vital components of emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1998).

Importantly, the process must be inclusive. Leadership is not confined to those with the loudest voice or greatest ability. Every athlete should be supported to recognise their personal strengths and influence. For example, a quieter player might demonstrate leadership through discipline and reliability, while another may inspire peers through creativity or work ethic. The coach’s task is to nurture and affirm these diverse expressions of leadership.

Embedding Leadership Development into Coaching Practice

To develop future leaders, leadership must be intentionally embedded within the coaching curriculum. This involves shifting from a coach-centred to a player-centred approach. Kidman and Lombardo (2010) describe athlete-centred coaching as a philosophy that empowers athletes to think, decide, and reflect for themselves. This approach transforms training sessions into collaborative learning experiences rather than top-down directives.

Key strategies include:

1. Shared Decision-Making – Allowing athletes to contribute to goal-setting, training design, or tactical planning builds ownership and accountability.

2. Reflective Practice – Encouraging regular reflection on performance and behaviour helps athletes internalise leadership lessons. This can be achieved through journaling, peer feedback, or post-session debriefs.

3. Mentorship Roles – Pairing experienced athletes with younger or less confident teammates cultivates responsibility and empathy.

4. Ethical Frameworks – Discussing integrity, respect, and fairness reinforces the moral dimensions of leadership, aligning sport with broader educational values.

Through these strategies, leadership becomes embedded not as an abstract concept but as a lived experience. When integrated consistently, athletes begin to recognise leadership as part of their identity — not merely a position they hold.

Modelling Leadership as a Coach

Leadership development cannot occur without coaches who model the behaviours they wish to see. Authentic leadership theory (Avolio & Gardner, 2005) suggests that followers respond to leaders who are genuine, transparent, and consistent in their values. In sport, authenticity is demonstrated through fairness, vulnerability, and integrity. Athletes quickly recognise whether their coach embodies these qualities.

A reflective coach continually evaluates their own practice, asking: Am I creating an environment where players feel trusted and supported? Am I empowering athletes to make decisions, or am I controlling every outcome? This self-awareness is central to professional growth. It also signals to athletes that leadership involves humility, learning, and accountability — not perfection or authority.

Furthermore, by modelling open communication and emotional control under pressure, coaches teach leadership implicitly. As Lee, Cobley, and O’Connor (2017) observe, athletes mirror the emotional tone of their coach. Calm, composed coaches encourage resilience and confidence; reactive coaches breed anxiety and dependence. Thus, leadership development begins with self-leadership.

The Long-Term Impact of Leadership Development

The value of leadership in sport extends far beyond winning. Research from the UK Coaching Council (2020) highlights that leadership experiences in youth sport are strongly associated with later success in education, employment, and community engagement. The attributes learned in sport — teamwork, adaptability, empathy, and resilience — transfer directly into future professional and personal contexts.

For coaches, this underscores the responsibility to view leadership as an educational outcome. Every training session becomes an opportunity to teach young people how to communicate, collaborate, and persevere. By positioning leadership development as a deliberate objective, sport can serve as one of society’s most powerful classrooms.

Conclusion

Leadership in sport is not the result of talent or authority; it is cultivated through relationships, reflection, and consistent opportunity. Coaches hold the power to shape how young people understand influence, responsibility, and teamwork. By fostering autonomy, modelling authenticity, and embedding leadership principles into everyday practice, we can produce not only successful athletes but capable, compassionate leaders.

At The Coaching Mindset, we believe that leadership is learned through experience, reflection, and intentional design. Our mission is to support coaches and educators in creating environments where young people grow as both performers and people. Leadership is not the destination of sport – it is its greatest legacy.

To learn more about how you can integrate leadership development into your coaching or educational programme, visit www.thecoachingmindset.org.

Reference List

Avolio, B.J. and Gardner, W.L. (2005) ‘Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership’, The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp. 315–338.

Bass, B.M. and Riggio, R.E. (2006) Transformational Leadership. 2nd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Goleman, D. (1998) Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam.

Gould, D. and Voelker, D.K. (2012) ‘Youth leadership development in sport: Lessons learned and future directions’, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 83(3), pp. 422–431.

Jones, R.L., Bailey, J. and Thompson, I. (2013) ‘Coaching as caring: The relational coaching process’, Quest, 65(3), pp. 271–284.

Kidman, L. and Lombardo, B.J. (2010) Athlete-Centred Coaching: Developing Decision Makers. Worcester: IPC Print Resources.

Lee, M.J., Cobley, S. and O’Connor, D. (2017) The Psychology of Effective Coaching and Management. London: Routledge.

Martens, R. (2012) Successful Coaching. 4th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Northouse, P.G. (2022) Leadership: Theory and Practice. 9th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

UK Coaching Council (2020) Coaching in the UK: Research Summary 2020. Leeds: UK Coaching.