Caring Coaching – Dr Colum Cronin (Pt2) – Meaningful Sport Series

"Coaches have a duty of care that moves beyond protection and involves the development of caring relationships with athletes". This is the position advanced by Dr Colum Cronin whose recent work has advanced care theory and research in sport coaching. But what do caring relationships look like and is it realistic to expect that these relationships manifest also in the world of elite sport, that is often described as ruthless, short-termist and uncaring?

This is second part of our episode with Colum. The first part focused on phenomenological essences of sport coaching, and care was identified as one of these essences. In this episode, the discussion moves from phenomenological ideas about care (as concern) to feminist perspectives on care.

Dr Colum Cronin is Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching and Physical Education at Liverpool John Moores University and serves as an associate editor for Sports Coaching Review. In his doctoral research, he drew on a phenomenological approach to explore the meaning of coaching. His later work has focused on caring relationships in sport coaching and he is the co-editor of the book Care in Sport Coaching: Pedagogical Cases (together with Kathleen Armour). In his research, he uses a range of qualitative methodologies.