Planning and Managing a Mentoring Programme in Sport 6


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Recognition that their skills are valuable and that their organisation wishes to


invest in their continued professional development will be reward enough.


Whereas the governing body of the sport will set the parameters for the mentoring programme, the programme manager should be responsible for ensuring that the programme is implemented as intended, in line with the policy and procedures agreed by the governing body. Such policies and procedures would normally include aspects such as:


• the overall aim and structure of the programme


• operational details such as duration of programme, suggested number of mentoring meetings and interventions


• confidentiality and disclosure


• knowledge of how potential risks should be managed.


Having decided on the outcome, rationale and people involved, the format and structure of the programme needs to be considered – the ‘how’ aspect. While discussing and deciding on the particular structure of the programme, it is also useful to explore and outline time frames – the ‘when’ aspect – as the timing of the programme in relation to the coaching season was one crucial factor identified from the pilot programme.Key considerations when planning the structure and timing are:


• the coaching season – informs when to start, review and conclude the programme


• the matching of mentors and coaches (eg skills-led or geographical?)


• the ratio of mentors to coaches – how many coaches can/should be allocated to one mentor


• what training and orientation will be needed and how best to structure this


• suggested frequency and/or number of mentoring interventions


• degree of emphasis to be placed upon face-to- face meetings, direct observation and feedback on coaching practice.


One aspect that provokes discussion and some controversy is the issue of payment or other incentives being offered to the people involved. Ultimately, this is a decision for your organisation. The decision may be taken on pragmatic grounds on the basis of money and other resources available at the time or it may be taken on the basis of the message your organisation wishes to send.


In some mentoring programmes, mentors have been required to enter into a formal contract with the governing body that sets out their role and responsibilities in explicit terms (eg duration of programme, number of mentoring interventions required per mentee, reporting requirements). In such programmes, mentors have generally been offered some type of reward, financial or otherwise (eg match/event tickets, sports clothing/equipment or free professional development opportunities).


In the sportscotland pilot project ‘Women in Coaching’, structured mentoring was highlighted as playing an integral role in the success of the project. Another key success factor was funding in that this allowed for mentors to be paid and for all other expenses to be covered. The advantage of this approach is that the mentor is contractually obliged to fulfil their role and responsibilities. If they do not ‘do their job’ as set out, then they do not qualify for their payment or other reward. The disadvantage of this approach is that perhaps the mentor’s motivations may change and that the essentially voluntary nature of the endeavour, which is often quoted as a key success ingredient, is taken out of the programme.


For many mentors, the recognition that their skills are valuable and that their organisation wishes to invest in their continued professional development will be reward enough. Although organisations may decide to pay mentors, this should not be the mentor’s only motivation to contribute to the programme. Paying mentors is one very tangible way of recognising their value to the organisation and ensuring they are not ‘out of pocket’ at the end of the programme, but no mentor should be invited to contribute to a programme if this is their primary motivation. When deciding on the specific policy on payment for mentors the general options to consider are:


• payment of a nominal sum to cover expenses and duties, paid on completion of any specified duties (eg a certain number of mentoring meetings and/or the submission of a mentoring record)


• expenses only to be paid as appropriate on receipt of mileage or other claims


• no direct payment but recognition of mentor’s work via other incentives – this may sit more easily with some sports (eg sports clothing/equipment or tickets for events)


• no payment but increasing the perceived value of the role through publicising benefits of becoming a mentor, resulting in people striving to be one of this perceived high status or elite workforce.


For coaches, the inherent benefits of taking part in a mentoring programme are generally sufficient and no further reward is deemed necessary. At times, simply being selected to take part in such a programme is sufficient recognition of the good work the coach is doing, ensuring that the coach feels valued by the organisation. Also, if the mentoring programme is focused on support towards an award or qualification then attaining that goal should be sufficient reward and recognition in itself.


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