Why they play

Never lose sight of why people, the very young to the quite old, play sports. In general, there are three main reasons that vary in importance during a sport career - enjoy the sport, spend time with friends, improve in the sport. Coaches need to be mindful of why athletes participate. For a child, they may be trying the sport for sheer enjoyment purposes. For a teenage or varsity athlete, they may be trying to increase skill sets in order to reach a next level. For adults, sport may offer a regular gathering of friends with like interests.

That said, a coach or leader is entrusted with many important responsibilities, some of which are listed below:

• provide a safe environment
• make the sport appealing to their audience, even if the athlete is paid
  
• improve the ability of the athlete through appropriate instruction and challenges
  
• understand the participant's goals and help them towards achievement
• make the sport experience positive so that participation continues and it is looked back upon with fondness