SPIRIT - Sport and Psychosocial Initiative for Inclusive Training

The main aim of the Sport and Psychosocial Initiative for Inclusive Training (SPIRIT) project is to make sports clubs more accessible and welcoming to everyone, with refugees in focus, by developing a framework for humane, inclusive and empowering coaching that nurtures good mental health.

The project runs from January 2020 until December 2022.

Key activities:

• Collect, compile and disseminate relevant research and useful practical examples in the field of sport and mental health
• Develope and promote recommendations for educating coaches that advance the mental well-being of their sports participants
• Create and implement a coaching framework that presents the academic case for sports and mental health in an accessible manner, and which utilises practical examples to guide the learner through an educational path
• Provide an accessible online learning tool that facilitates the skills development of coaches in a flexible way

Sport Coaching for Mental Well-being

Recommendations for Coach Education and Club Management:

The recommendations for Coach Education and Club Management (IO3) outline five recommendations to provide people and organisations involved in the education of grassroots sports coaches with strategic guidance in regards to nurturing the mental well-being of grassroots athletes.

The recommendations derive from a systematic literature review and a collection of good practice examples from sport clubs that promote mental well-being. They also include carefully considered feedback and insights from European sport or mental well-being experts via a Delphi Study. 

PDF Download: SPIRIT - Recommendations for Coach Education & Club Management 

Systematic Literature Review:

This systematic literature review investigates the role of coaches in the promotion of mental well-being-enhancing physical activity. It depicts factors that positively and negatively influence coaching behaviour and impact on the mental well-being of sport participants.

Furthermore, the review provides a conceptual map for analysing these factors in the specific context of recreational grassroots sport, and recommendations for the training of coaches what to consider for coaching and how to promote mental well-being.

The key findings of the literature review are available in the summary document.

PDF Download: SPIRIT - Systematic Literature Review

PDF Download: Summary of the Systematic Literature Review (German Version)

PDF Download: Summary of the Systematic Literature Review (English Version)