(50) CHARACTERISTICS OF COACHES COMPLETING ONLINE SAFETY TRAINING TO MEET STATE COMPLIANCE

Purpose: Approximately 90% of youth sports coaches are parents. Youth sports coaches often lack formal education and training. Therefore, many states and regions have passed legislation aimed at improving coach training and thus the coach’s ability to recognize, respond to, and prevent youth sports injuries. The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of youth sports coaches who have completed an online training course that is in compliance with state law.

Methods: Descriptive data were collected and analyzed from an online learning management system that delivered the youth sports safety educational program. The program consisted of 11 modules, covering 9 subject areas including coaching young athletes, mental health, concussions, overuse injuries, communicable and infectious diseases, sudden cardiac arrest, conditions unique to the young athlete, and emergency preparedness. Only data from coaches that fully completed the course were included in this analysis. The primary variables of interest were the coaches’ age, gender, sport(s), team role, and league organization type. Means, standard deviations, frequencies, ranges, and proportions will be reported as dictated by the variable.

Results: In total 7,786 coaches completed the course and were included in this analysis. Of that total, 75% of coaches self-reported as male (male n = 5,853; female n = 1,897; not applicable/blank n = 35). Overall, the coaches’ age ranged from 15 to 80 years old, with no specific age representing > 5% of the total. However, 50% of coaches were 33 to 43 years of age. One’s team role varied with the predominating role being “coach” at 55%, followed by “assistant coach” at 34%. The remaining 11% were comprised of “team mom”, “parent”, and “other family member”. The primary league organization was parks and recreation at 71% and youth athletic associations represented 11%, with the remaining 17% made up of travel leagues, YMCA, multisport organizations, and school systems. Sport representation was as follows: baseball n = 1,834, basketball n = 1,661, soccer n = 1,600, football n = 785, softball n = 722, volleyball n = 136, gymnastics n = 32, and n = 1,015 were multisport.

Conclusion: The evolution of youth sports warrants additional training for coaches to best serve athletes' safety. Volunteer coaches at the youth sports level come from a wide range of backgrounds and serve in many sports and roles. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Comprehensive, scalable educational solutions are needed to reach youth coaches in a variety of settings. Furthermore, e-learning provides a unique platform through which coaches and parents can have access to quality training and resources.

Acknowledgements: Coach Safely Foundation