8 out of 10 sports clubs in Flanders struggle to find new coaches

Eight out of 10 sports clubs in Flanders find it difficult or impossible to find extra coaches, the Flemish Sports Federation reported on Wednesday. In total, half of the 18,500 sports clubs in Flanders are looking for additional coaches.

Flanders currently has around 73,000 coaches, a number that is increasing every year. But the increasing demand for coaches is outpacing this growth. Eight out of 10 sports clubs report difficulties in finding new coaches: one in two clubs is still looking, while a third of sports clubs have stopped altogether because of the shortage.

Recruitment is made even more difficult by the fact that 40 per cent of all coaches quit every year. More than half of them say they quit because of a lack of time or changing priorities, a quarter because coaching involves too many other responsibilities and a fifth because their salary is too low.

The Flemish Sports Federation points to a lack of regulation regarding pay for coaches. "Give the organised sports sector a workable statute to make it easier to pay coaches. With more coaches, we can reduce waiting lists at clubs and get more people doing sport and exercise," said Pieter Hoof, director general of the Flemish Sports Federation.

^{#FlandersNewsService | Athletics coach Fernando Oliva during a training session with Noor Vidts and Merel Maes © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}