Challenges for Volunteer Community Rugby Union Coaches in Regional Queensland

Challenges for Volunteer Community Rugby Union Coaches in
Regional Queensland

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was undertaken involving in-depth qualitative interviews undertaken with five highly experienced volunteer community rugby union coaches from regional towns across Queensland to gain their insights concerning the challenges of coaching the sport in such areas.
While strongly committed to the sport of rugby union and staunch advocates of its attributes, they spoke of the significant challenges they have encountered balancing their family and employment responsibilities with their voluntary coaching commitments, especially with the extra time and distance demands associated with coaching in a regional locale. They also expressed feelings of disenfranchisement and isolation from rugby's governing bodies and significant frustration concerning the current state of the game and its development. Concerns raised included difficulties in club administration, declining volunteer participation, rugby’s poor media presence and exposure, inadequate provision of development personnel in regional areas, a lack of viable regional competitions, and the philosophical and practical tensions arising from disparities in focus and funding between elite and grassroots rugby.