INAPS Introduces New Framework to Enhance Coaching Excellence

At a press conference on Tuesday 21 October 2025, the National Institute of Physical Activity and Sports (INAPS) presented, in the presence of Luxembourg Minister of Sport, Georges Mischo, the framework concept for its Long Term Coach Development (LTCD). 

According to INAPS, the framework forms part of the broader vision of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) and places coaches at the centre — the “Good People” without whom sustainable development in sport and physical activity would be inconceivable. It sets out how coaches, from the first steps in their careers through to their specialisation, should be supported in their work and encouraged in a targeted way.

The LTCD publication establishes a uniform orientation framework, within which coaches — whether working in federations, clubs, municipalities or commercial structures — receive the support and recognition that reflect their significant contribution to collective well-being.

Minister Mischo emphasised: “Good coaches are a key pillar of a strong, active and healthy Luxembourg. Coaches are much more than technical and tactical instructors. They are role models, mentors and motivators who develop sporting skills while also passing on social values such as fair play, respect, team spirit and inclusion. In their daily work, they support people during decisive phases of their lives and development, thereby making a vital contribution to health, integration and personal growth.” 

He added: “As those responsible for sports policy, we aim to guarantee the necessary framework conditions for this development: investing in sports infrastructure, supporting federations and clubs in the development of their organisational capacities, promoting the initial and ongoing training of their technical and administrative staff, and developing careers in the field of sport. With the LTCD framework concept, we are strengthening the central role of coaches and creating a solid foundation for a Luxembourg where sport and physical activity are of high quality and accessible to everyone.”

LTCD aims to lay the necessary foundations for recognising the role of the coach and their importance to society. In the long term, it seeks to highlight the coach’s central role in the sustainable development of an active and healthy society, while raising awareness of the breadth of their potential impact. To turn this vision into a socially recognised reality, the LTCD concept pursues the following objectives:

•            To foster an ethical coaching culture, through the formulation of guidelines based on action- and behaviour-oriented values for coaches.

•            To establish a principle-based guide for the qualitative development of coaches, encouraging an athlete-centred and responsible approach to coaching.

•            To describe the complex missions of the coach and define the key competences required to ensure optimal support for athletes at each stage of the LTAD model.

•            To present various development pathways that enhance the quality of coaches’ work while sustainably increasing participation in sport and athletic performance.

According to Charles Stelmes, Director of INAPS: “The quality of physical activity and sports provision depends largely on the quality of the people who design and deliver it. The LTCD framework regards coaching as a lifelong development process. Different learning pathways interlink and make it possible to continually expand one’s skills. This interaction between theoretical knowledge, practical application and ongoing self-reflection is decisive in meeting the multiple demands of the coaching role. INAPS aims to create or contribute to creating, learning opportunities in all contexts — from grassroots sport to school sport, elite sport, physical activity centres, fitness studios and performance centres. In doing so, we support not only technical knowledge, but also the pedagogical, social and ethical competences that strengthen the coach in their practice and their role as a role model.”

One of INAPS’s missions is to help define and develop professions in the sector and related training. The LTCD framework sets out quality principles, outlines avenues for development and offers guidance for the systematic promotion of the coaching profession. It paves the way for additional documents and measures aimed at further enhancing quality in Luxembourg sport in the future.

Moreover, INAPS presented an action plan with concrete measures to follow up on the LTCD, including the integration of LTCD into LUXQF training programmes, a series of continuing training courses based on LTCD principles, and the Coaches’ Integrity Code developed by INAPS in close cooperation with its partner institutions in the Luxembourg sports system — the Ministry of Sport as well as ALAD, COSL, LIHPS, LIROMS and Sportlycée. This integrity code provides a reference framework for responsible, professional and ethical behaviour by coaches in Luxembourg.