Darren Campbell Calls for Enhanced Care for Coaches

From playgrounds, to parks, to the podium in Paris, in the sporting world the spotlight always shines brightest on the athletes. 

As excitement grows for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, we know before the starting gun sounds that every Team GB victory will be celebrated with gusto, that every athlete’s struggles and setbacks will be empathised with, and that every ‘inspirational journey’ chronicled in the press will be pored over with the keenest of interest and expectation.

But behind every athlete who basks in the glow of success, there’s a team of unsung heroes who have been there every step of the way. These are the coaches, the guiding forces who work tirelessly behind the scenes. 

Against the enchanting backdrop of Paris, let’s for a moment redirect the spotlight towards our coaches and acknowledge the parallel journey they are on as they devote their lives to nurturing their athletes.

As Head of Sprints, Hurdles and Relays for UK Athletics, Darren Campbell has a pivotal role to play in ensuring our athletes are at their formidable best in Paris, and he fully understands the mental demands of coaching. He has experienced great coaching as an athlete and is now a respected coaching role model himself for the athletes and coaches he works with.

He knows that the coaches in his fold – like 4x100m Relay Lead Laura Turner-Alleyne and 4x400m relay lead Martyn Rooney – execute their responsibilities with as much passion and commitment as the athletes themselves. 

Their role extends beyond the training and guidance that directly contributes to their athletes’ performance and development. It encompasses the provision of unwavering support, which includes safeguarding the welfare and well-being of athletes.

If an athlete is grappling with feelings of unhappiness, frustration, physical exhaustion, or fatigue, chances are the coach is feeling similar emotions, compromising their ability to bring out the best in those they are there to support.

We know that. They know that. You know that. But does everyone else?

The need for a support system for coaches

As explained in our article The Six Pillars of Duty to Care, the all-consuming nature of coaching and the physical and mental demands it places on individuals means it is imperative that someone has the coaches’ backs too. 

But who supports the coaches? Who checks in on them?

“The strapline UK Athletics lives by is ‘athletes first’,” says Campbell. “We may not get everything right, but behind every action is always the welfare and consideration of the athlete.

“Say an athlete is injured, it may bring the dynamic of the whole team down because they are being negative. This will weigh on you, the team, and you want to stop it weighing on the athlete. That’s a heavy burden.”

Campbell fully endorses the work UK Coaching is doing around raising awareness of self-care among coaches and lobbying for greater recognition from the sector around its inherent duty to care for its coaching workforce at all levels. That includes officials to support staff –nutritionists, physios, strength and conditioning specialists, administrators – and of course, coaches.

“But what about those coaches who aren’t aware there is an organisation they can reach out to who understands the demands of coaching; where you won’t be judged; won’t be seen as weak; and where you can get the support you need?”

Campbell’s personal journey towards self-care

Campbell goes into detail about his own mental health problems in our feature, ‘From the Mean Streets of Manchester to the Paris Olympics: Campbell’s Incredible Journey’, including the harrowing experience of a brain bleed in 2018 that triggered several seizures.

“I knew after coming out of hospital following my bleed on the brain, that if I’m not in the best shape myself I can’t do the best for my wife and kids. 

“Coaching is the same. If I don’t look after myself, who will?” he reflects. 

“I didn’t necessarily see the importance of looking after my own mental health at the time and wasn’t on top of it as much as I needed to be because, you know, you get busy and before you know it you are on this cycle, and you can’t get off. 

“Sometimes you need to get off the merry-go-round because your head is spinning.

“You give so much, but sometimes people can knock you down, and you can lose belief in you, in who you are, and what your purpose is.