An association of their own

SINGAPORE — Top international coaches such as football’s Pep Guardiola or basketball’s Larry Brown may take home million dollar pay cheques from working with superstar teams and athletes, but often, the reality for many others is less rosy.

Coaches in Singapore — particularly those who work in school sports — point to many challenges in choosing coaching as a profession: A lack of health insurance, Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings and an unstable income.

The unsung heroes of local sports may soon have an avenue to air their grievances and further their cause. A group of six school coaches, led by netball coach Justin Teh, has banded together to set up the National Sports Coaches Association to help improve the lot of their peers here.

Teh, 44, approached the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) last May with the idea of starting an association and conducted two coaches’ forums in July and October to listen to views and gather feedback.

With assistance from NTUC, the pro-tem committee— which includes coaches from athletics, tennis, softball and climbing — was formed in the middle of last year, leading to an application last November lodged with the Registry of Societies. The coaches’ association will be a first for Singapore sports if it is approved.

Teh is hopeful that it will kick off soon and he told TODAY: “We want to make coaching a viable career, bring coaches together and help develop coaches as professionals.

“Right now, there is no representation or official body for coaches in Singapore. Many coaches are stuck because financially it is not easy, and it is tougher for freelance coaches who have no Medisave, CPF (savings) and insurance. Sometimes they get terminated prematurely, and we need to look after the welfare of coaches.

“The purpose of the association is not to bang tables or bring anybody down. We want to work harmoniously with Sport Singapore, the Ministry of Education and national sports associations (NSAs) to create a better environment for coaches and players.”

Coaches of all levels will be welcome to join the association, which will have three groups of members: Associate members with voting rights, students and honorary members. If the association is approved, a recruitment drive will be conducted via social media and roadshows. Funding for the association is expected to come from membership fees and the committee plans to seek for sponsors and government aid.

Some of the areas that they will look into include insurance coverage, working with NSAs on technical courses, and mediating disputes between coaches and clients.

School coaches are paid an average of S$40 to S$55 per hour, or between S$1,000 to $2,000 a month for their services, and many are unhappy with the current system that calls for them to submit bids for jobs via the government’s GeBiz website.

“Coaches feel so unsafe and we need someone to protect us as schools can just say ‘thanks for your service’ (and not renew your services),” said netball coach Chow Chon Tee, who intends to sign up as a member.

“Some coaches are paid hourly and some monthly. Maybe the association can help with (drafting) a contract for monthly pay for coaches, as sometimes schools cancel training because of activities and you don’t get paid if you’re paid hourly.”

Hong Kah Secondary School football coach Mohamed Zainudeen Mohamed Hassan, a veteran coach of 23 years, welcomed the idea. He said: “A coaches’ association is definitely the way forward. There’s only so much the respective NSAs and Sport Singapore can do. They can work on areas such as upgrading coaching knowledge by organising seminars and conferences.”

Others such as veteran athletics coach Steven Quek prefer to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

“All of us in the fraternity would like to know more about it and I look forward to knowing more before deciding whether I will sign up as a member,” he said.