This ‘Coaching with Purpose’ article comes from Fight for Peace’s Sport for Development Partnership Officer, Eshita Nair. Framed within her own experience of coaching and how her role at Fight for Peace expands on this, Eshita reflects on the UK Coaching Conference 2025 and shares her key takeaways.

“Growing up as a competitive swimmer, the pool was my second home. But my first coach wasn’t someone with just a whistle or a stopwatch – it was my father with his words of encouragement. One of the most influential things he said to me was: “I put you into sports to become a better human being; medals and breaking records are just bonus points.”

That philosophy laid the foundation for everything I value about sport and it’s an idea that resonates with Fight for Peace’s ‘Life Champions’ approach, which helps coaches impact young people’s lives both in and beyond the sporting environment. 

As I was later to discover, I was lucky to be trained by a series of coaches who not just developed my sport skills but helped shape and enable me, both in and out of the pool.

Attending the UK Coaching Conference 2025 brought that philosophy into focus, and over two days, I heard honest stories from across the sector; some inspiring, but some uncomfortable. All underscored one fact: great coaching is about people, not just performance.

While some research has challenged the commonly held belief that sport inherently builds character or values; I argue it doesn’t, or at least not automatically. Positive outcomes are produced in the quieter and often overlooked moments through mentoring interactions, social relationships, and facilitating meaningful engagement.

Among the many moments at the conference that stood out to me, one that really made me pause was learning that only 45% of children enjoy sports. If nearly half of young people aren’t enjoying their experience, we should ask ourselves, what kind of coaching are they receiving? What’s more, are we listening to what they need, or assuming we know best? 

This ties directly into the topic of inclusion, which was rightfully challenged at the conference. Someone pointed out that inclusion isn’t just about opening doors but about asking, what’s happening inside the rooms once people are in. Are we creating spaces where everyone can thrive?

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) conversations are more fragile than ever. We must move beyond tick box diversity to having brave, uncomfortable yet genuine dialogue. Another speaker also pointed out how EDI fatigue is real, and how a solution to this is to use empowering language – words like belonging, thrive, identity, rather than ones that feel limiting. I believe when a coach creates an environment where a child feels safe enough to flag a concern- that’s inclusion in action – more than that, it’s also a sign of leadership!

Another powerful insight from the conference was that coach education should be continuous. A four hour workshop can’t teach emotional intelligence – instead, continuous investment in coach development, coupled with deeper conversations, peer learning, and reflections, can. As you can tell by the end of the conference, I was pumped and ready to take action.

At Fight for Peace, this reaffirms the direction we’re heading with the Life Champions programme which focuses on developing coaches beyond the technical, and building skills around inclusion, leadership, and more. It’s our step towards bridging the gap between well meaning and well doing. 

So what’s next? Beyond investing in coach development, we need to keep asking deeper questions. We need to listen intentionally and share stories that both inspire and challenge us to do better. 

As someone at the conference put it: either lead, follow, or get out of the way! Let’s coach for the person, not just the performance. The rest? Just bonus points.

To learn more about our Life Champions Course, check it out here: ukcoaching.org/life-champions.