“You Want to be Paid?” The Complexity of Coach Developers, Free Citizenship, and Their Role in Sports Coaching

Coach developers play a crucial role in advancing the field of sports coaching and improving coaches' lives. Many academics, who also act as coach developers, deliver training, mentoring, and education services as part of their institutional “citizenship” or “service” obligations. Often, these are provided at no cost. These practices, while well-intentioned, can devalue sports coaching and exacerbate inequities within the field. This article explores the implications of unpaid coach development work, drawing on recent international literature to examine the dilemmas facing academics, institutions, and coach development practitioners. It presents practical strategies for recognizing, valuing, and appropriately compensating coach development work, while maintaining access to research sites and supporting coaches. We conclude by recommending institutional policy shifts, clearer role boundaries, and “charging models” that reflect the value of coach developers.