Coaching in the 21st Century

I just saw this article on the new 'Head of Performance' for England's women's cricket team, and it got me thinking about what exactly a coach is in the 21st century.

English football and ML Baseball have probably been ahead of the curve for a very long time, by describing what everyone else calls a coach to be a 'Manager'.  It is actually a much better description of the sort of role that a coach actually does.

In American professional sports there is usually a General Manager who has responsibility for the team above that of the Head Coach.

The AFL in Australia now has a role of Performance Manager who sits, in theory, next to the Head Coach, as well as General Manager of the Club.

Cricket generally has a coach, who is a manger, and usually now a Performance Manager as well.

Despite the various titles and job descriptions, the common bond shared by the Manager, Performance Manager, and other coaches around the world is that, if the team isn't doing well, they are the ones who will be fired.

Maybe the best definition of a coach is 'the person who will be held responsible if the team loses'.  Regardless of all the differences, the consistent performance indicator for the coach is winning.

(Photo Credit)