Managing professional sports coaches in South Africa: Perceptions of human resource managers in sport organisations

Abstract

Sport in South Africa has grown tremendously in the post-apartheid era as evidenced by the existence of many professional sport organisations in the country. Professional sports coaches are among the paid employees in sport organisations. High turnover of professional sport coaches in certain sport disciplines has triggered the question of HRM in professional sport organisations. This study investigated the management of professional sports coaches in sport organisations affiliated to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). The aim of the study was to investigate the perceptions of human resources managers in sport organisations regarding the management of professional sports coaches at sport organisations. The study used a mixed method approach which involved conducting in-depth interviews with 10 human resources managers and administering questionnaires to 450 human resources managers in the nine provinces of South Africa. Data were assessed for frequencies and percentages on each item in the questionnaire. In addition, Cronbach's coefficient alpha was used to test the reliability of the scale. Shortcomings in the current human resource practices were identified in six areas namely, recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, job security, labour relations, and performance appraisal. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to address the shortcomings identified.