Coaches day

When have you thanked your coach? There are about eight million coaches around EU, most of them work on voluntary bases and all of them have a big impact in our lives and societies.

The 25th of September is the Coaches Day. The theme of the day is #ThanksCoach #kiittikoutsi, and is held in conjunction with the #beactive activities of the European Week of Sport. The idea of the Coaches Day is to highlight the valuable work of sports coaches by sharing thanks on social media and arranging small surprises for the coaches.

The Coaches Day initiative was launched in Finland in 2019 when Finland was in charge of the European Week of Sport due to holding the EU Presidency mandate at that time. The initiators of the initiative are the Finnish Coaches Association, the Professional Coaches of Finland (SAVAL), the Finnish Olympic Committee and the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE). The Finnish National Agency for Education is involved as the contact point of European Week of Sport in Finland.

Other concrete measures promoting the appreciation of coaches include the selection of the Coach of the Year since 1978 and awarding deserving coaches in sports culture and sports with merit crosses and medals. The Finnish Coaches Association further highlights the work of coaches with the selection of the Coach of the Month.

Find your own innovative way to pay respect for the coaches during European Week of Sport (September 23-30)!

Facts about Finnish coaching 2021

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