Coach Beyond

Coach Beyond...

LiFEsports has launched Coach Beyond… in partnership with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), we are working to change the landscape of coach education!

Lessons Learned from the Million Coaches Challenge

The Million Coaches Challenge hit its goal of training 1M youth coaches by 2025 and launched new resources and systemic calls to action to continue transforming youth sports.

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Coach Beyond Events

October 01, 2026

Coach Beyond

Licking County League - Leadership Summit

Mount Vernon High School

October 16, 2026

Coach Beyond

Managing Stress & Pressure - Teacher Session

Tri-County ESC

October 20, 2026

Coach Beyond

Dublin & Olentangy Student-Athlete Leadership Event

Del-Co Wolf Water Center

View All Events

How it Works

Over 600 million kids play sports every year worldwide—including 340,000 right here in Ohio. When done right, youth sports can transform a young person's life by:

Boosting mental health
Lowering the risk of drug and alcohol abuse
Keeping kids connected to their school
Driving up grades and academic success

Here’s the catch: these benefits don't happen by accident. They only happen when sports are run by caring, engaged adults. Coaches have a rare opportunity to guide young people both on and off the field—but far too many enter the role without the training they need to make that kind of impact.

29%

of Ohio coaches feel confident in their ability to address athletes’ mental health concerns.

27%

of Ohio coaches feel confident in their ability to help athletes regulate their emotions/to prevent burnout among athletes.

24%

of Ohio coaches feel confident in their ability to identify off the field stressors among athletes (LiFEsports, 2022).

70%

of coaches in OHSAA are non-school employees with limited background in education and child development.

To Address This Need

Ohio State LiFEsports has launched Coach Beyond… in partnership with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Together, Ohio State LiFEsports and OHSAA are working to change the landscape of coach training in Ohio by providing new and improved coach education, coaching resources, and research to ensure youth sport coaches are ready to “coach beyond...”