Current Issue: Volume 1, Issue 1 (2026) Winter 2026

Welcome to the Journal of Coach Development!

Welcome to the Journal of Coach Development, an official publication of the United States Center for Coaching Excellence (USCCE)! Established in 2016, the USCCE is a national non-profit organization dedicated to elevating and enhancing the professions of sport coaching, coach education, and coach development. And, as we enter the tenth year of this important work, our organization is privileged to launch this journal. Our aim is to provide an open-access outlet for the most up-to-date research in coach development. The mission of the Journal of Coach Development is to provide an open access research forum for scholars and scholarly-practitioners who are invested in the evidence-based preparation and continued development of sport coaches. In order to better understand the complex process of becoming a coach and the role of those supporting coach development, this journal is meant to be an outlet for projects that incorporate rigorous research with implications for practical application. The Journal of Coach Development will publish original research, commentary pieces, and applied practice papers that are specifically related to the development of sport coaches. While coaching practice might be a variable discussed in published papers, the primary focus of accepted manuscripts will be ‘how’ coaches develop and the processes and structures that support that development. The publication is intentionally designed as open access and requires contributors to include rigorous evidence as well as practical implications. Our hope is that this will result in a publication that will serve academics and practitioners, strengthening the research-to-practice connection in a feedback loop. At present, the Journal of Coach Development editorial team is comprised of individuals who are serving on the research committee for the USCCE. I’m grateful to each and every member of that committee for their dedicated service and commitment to advancing knowledge in this field. We will continue to grow the editorial team to ensure broad expertise and perspective. In this first issue, we present two white papers from the USCCE, both of which serve to provide focus on how the organization and larger discipline are defining the work of coach development. Our hope is that including these two papers in this first issue will serve to ground the journal and its readers and contributors in a shared definition of coach development and the role of the coach developer. These white papers are accompanied by several original research articles. Coach development is an evolving field with a growing global community of scholars and practitioners committed to the professionalization of sport coaching. The scholarly conversations that are happening right now will shape its trajectory for years to come. The Journal of Coach Development is designed to be a home for those conversations — rigorous enough to advance scholarship and accessible enough to inform practice. We are excited to build this community alongside you, and we invite you to engage with this work, share it widely, and contribute to future issues as authors, reviewers, and readers. For now, let’s dive in!

Original Research

White Papers