Four Years. One Million Coaches. A Foundation for What’s Next.

When we launched the Million Coaches Challenge in 2021, we did so with a hypothesis: that training coaches in evidence-based youth development practices at scale could change the experience of young people in sport. Not just on the field, but in the ways they build confidence, find belonging, and develop the skills they’ll carry into the rest of their lives.

Four years later, with 18 national, state, and local Partner organizations, MCC has trained more than 1 million coaches. We’re proud to share Winning Beyond the Game, the Million Coaches Challenge Implementation Study—an independent, multiyear research effort conducted by the American Institutes for Research that documents what that work has produced.

What the Research Found

The study draws on one of the most extensive data sets on youth coaches to date including survey responses from more than 13,800 coaches across 18 national Partner organizations.

The findings are clear:

• 88% of coaches said training made them a better coach, gaining confidence in:
  • supporting athletes’ life skills and building strong relationships
  • creating inclusive environments
  • supporting athletes’ mental health
• 72% believed their athletes were more likely to stay in sport
• 66% observed more joy among the young people they coach

These aren’t small gains. They represent a meaningful shift in how coaches show up and what that means for the millions of young people in their care.

Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers

One of the study’s most significant findings is one that’s harder to quantify: alignment. Across 33 trainings from 10 MCC partners, coaches were converging around the same core principles — building relationships, creating safe and inclusive environments, prioritizing effort and growth, and supporting their own well-being. In a youth sports landscape that has historically been fragmented and inconsistent, that alignment is itself a model.

The research also affirms something we’ve believed from the start: training is necessary, but not sufficient on its own. Its impact is strongest when embedded in systems — supported by mentorship, peer learning, and organizations that prioritize youth development at every level.

A Kick-off, Not a Finish Line

This work would not have been possible without the 18 Partner organizations who trained coaches, contributed data, and helped build the evidence base, as well as AIR, whose rigorous, independent research gives these findings their weight.

As Susan Crown, SCE’s founder, put it: “The question now is how we use what we’ve learned to ensure that every coach — not just the one million coaches already trained — has what they need to show up for young people.”

This study is a milestone. It also marks the beginning of MCC’s next phase, including its Calls to Action and the Empower Every Coach initiative, which focuses on building the systems-level infrastructure that makes quality coaching the norm.

Read the full report here.