Sport. It’s full of buzzwords: performance, resilience, legacy. But here’s one you don’t hear shouted from the stands: workforce development.
Yes, it’s not quite as thrilling as a last-minute winner or a slow-mo replay of a perfect dive. But without a well-supported, skilled, and happy workforce behind the scenes, sport development grinds to a halt very fast. Developing people is harder than developing tactics. People come with feelings. And emails. And occasionally, a tendency to burn out trying to change the world through badminton. So, how do we grow the workforce behind the goals, without burning out the brilliant humans trying to run, coach, organise, and inspire?
In the world of sport development, we throw around terms like “change agent,” “catalyst,” and “community champion”. They sound great… on a strategy slide. However, the reality is that many people enter the sport through passion, not policy. They’re the coach who stayed after practice to chat. The youth worker who dragged a bag of footballs through the rain. The volunteer who still doesn’t quite understand what GDPR is, but they’re trying. Workforce development isn’t about turning these people into jargon machines; it’s about giving them the confidence, skills, and support to keep doing what they do best, just with a few more tools in their kit.
Let’s talk about training:
Professional development should build confidence, not just competence. It’s not about confusing people with frameworks…It’s about building belief that they can lead, influence, and shape the future of sport on their terms. The sport workforce is gloriously diverse: grassroots volunteers, community coaches, sport-for-development officers, and national programme managers. Some have degrees. Some have lived experience. Some have both, and neither should be overlooked.
Real workforce development meets people where they are. That might mean mentoring schemes that recognise different pathways, flexible learning options for those balancing three jobs, or leadership programmes that aren’t just for the loudest voices in the room.
How do you know workforce development is working?
Yes, you could count qualifications. But the deeper markers are quieter. Fewer people are burning out. More people are speaking up. Staff from underrepresented groups saying, “I can see a future here.” Team WhatsApp chats that are 80% memes, 20% scheduling. When we grow people well, they stay. They lead. They lift others.
We talk a lot about legacy in sport, especially around big events. But the truest legacy isn’t shiny facilities or branded water bottles. It’s the people we’ve invested in who keep showing up, long after the fanfare fades. If we build a workforce that’s skilled, supported, reflective, and rooted in the communities they serve, we build sport that actually works. Not just for medals, but for mental health, belonging, and joy. So, here’s to the quiet power of professional development. The coach who took a mental health first aid course now knows what to say. The project officer who finally sees themselves as a leader. The admin who realised they’re the glue that holds the whole thing together.
Because in sport, as in life, it’s not just about who scores. It’s about who feels seen, grown, and valued along the way.
Want to learn how to develop your workforce for the future? Reach out to Jo Pilgrim directly by clicking here!