Facing abuse, bullying, racism and even inappropriate sexual advances, the plight of Australia’s coaches has shocked even the researchers behind the first major national survey into positive sporting behaviours.
More than one in six coaches have directly experienced verbal abuse in the past 12 months, and two in five have witnessed it, according to the first annual results from the Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) Positive Behaviours in Sport Study, and parents were responsible almost half the time (47%).
