Winning Beyond the Game: Lessons Learned from the Million Coaches Challenge

Image

Launched in 2021, the Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) sought to expand access to coach training grounded in youth development and related practices. 

The MCC brought together 18 national, state, and local youth sport organizations with a shared commitment to strengthening coaching quality at scale by developing, delivering, and expanding access to research aligned training across diverse sport contexts. AIR partnered with MCC organizations throughout the initiative to conduct a multiyear, mixed methods implementation study.

Operating within a highly decentralized youth sport system where expectations, access to training, and support structures vary widely, the MCC demonstrated that large-scale, coordinated coach training is both feasible and scalable. 

By the end of 2025, MCC Partners collectively trained more than one million coaches nationwide, marking a significant milestone for the youth sport field.
 

Understanding Coach Training at Scale

AIR leads the Million Coaches Challenge Implementation Study, a multi-year, mixed-methods effort examining large-scale coach training across diverse youth sport settings.

The study focuses on identifying what enables effective implementation and what coaches and organizations say matters most, generating actionable insights for the broader youth sport ecosystem.

The implementation study is organized around four central questions: 

• Did the Million Coaches Challenge reach its goal of training one million coaches? 
• What contextual factors shape the youth sport and coaching landscape in the United States? 
• How do MCC Partner organizations integrate youth development principles into coach training? 
• How do coaches perceive the influence of training on their knowledge, skills, confidence, and coaching practices?

To address these questions, AIR analyzed multiple sources of data, including coach training participation records, interviews with MCC Partner organizations, a systematic review of training materials, and a national coach perception survey. 
 

Key Findings

Despite variation in organizational missions, sports, and training formats, findings from the implementation study reveal strong alignment across Partners around a shared, research-based vision of quality coaching. 

What Training Emphasized

Across MCC-supported trainings, Partners consistently focused on practices such as building strong relationships with athletes, creating safe and inclusive team environments, prioritizing growth and effort over winning, elevating athlete voice and agency, and supporting coach reflection and well-being. 

What Coaches Reported

Coaches who participated in MCC-supported training reported increases in knowledge and skills, consistent gains in confidence, and early changes in practice, including improved communication, stronger athlete relationships, and more positive team climates. 

Many coaches also perceived benefits for young athletes, including greater enjoyment of sport, stronger relationships with coaches and teammates, and increased likelihood of continued participation. 
 

Resources for the Youth Sport Field

A central goal of the Million Coaches Challenge Implementation Study is to ensure that lessons learned are shared widely and translated into usable tools. Resources developed through and informed by the study include:

• Briefs and reports with findings documenting how coach training was implemented and what Partners and coaches learned 
   
• A coach practice guide that translates evidence from MCC Partner trainings into accessible, actionable strategies for coaches

Together, these resources support coaches, youth sport organizations, researchers, funders, and policymakers working to make youth sport more supportive, inclusive, and development-focused.