Coaching and Coach Education in Spain: A Critical Analysis of Legislative Evolution

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe the status of coaching and coach education in Spain. Particular emphasis is placed on legislative evolution of the qualifications of sport coaches and the repercussions it has had on the sport and education system. The formal training of sport coaches in Spain has undergone many legislative changes since the promulgation of the Constitution in 1978. This period of legislative changes has been long and has not ended as a single process. Transitory provisions are still being used to impart and approve training courses. The changes adopted have served to introduce sport teaching into the Spanish education system as a special education system; and to homogenize the study plans, the requisites for teachers who give the courses and the administrative procedures, among the different sport disciplines. The equalization of professional sport qualifications at the European level is now more feasible.