Coaching and Coach Education in Turkey: History, Status, and Future

Coaching and coach education have been part of government policies in Turkey since the foundation of the Republic in 1923. Nevertheless, the current state of coaching and coach education in Turkey has been criticized due to its disjointed nature. Added to that, there has been a lack of comprehensive mapping of the different elements of coaching and coach education, which in turn inhibits evaluation and growth. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a practical historical overview of coaching and coach education in Turkey to identify strengths, weaknesses, and future directions for the overall sport coaching system. Findings for this paper are generated via an analysis of policy and academic texts, as well as interviews with two academics working directly in coach education. In the end, future recommendations established from a review of the coaching and coach education literature addressing the weaknesses in the Turkish coaching system are suggested.