Our Vision
Sports coaches guide athletes to achieve optimal performance, and this goes beyond enhancing physical ability. The Sports Coaching Lab (SCL) aspires to advance the sports coaching profession and take it to the highest standards of excellence.
The Sports Coaching Lab: Advancing Professional Coaching in South Africa
The Sports Coaching Lab (SCL) emerged from Our Founder, Dr. Desiree Vardhan’s doctoral research at The DaVinci Institute, supervised by Prof. B. Anderson from The DaVinci Institute. Her doctoral study, Sports Coaching Realities in South Africa: An Exploratory Study, explored why athletes continue to engage with unqualified and inexperienced coaches.
Grounded in qualitative research, her findings led to the formalisation of key communities of practice to advance sports coaching in South Africa. The SCL was established as a development hub to drive professionalisation, training, and innovation within the field. Thus, it is dedicated to shaping a structured and impactful sports coaching system, empowering coaches and athletes through education, collaboration, and research-driven insights.
Elevating Sports Coaching Through Formal Education
In partnership with The DaVinci Institute, the Sports Coaching Lab is advancing the professionalisation of sports coaching through academic programmes. The partnership offers sports coaching electives for DaVinci’s Higher Certificate in the Management of Technology and Innovation and the Master of Business Leadership (MBL) programme.
The DaVinci Institute’s Higher Certificate in the Management of Technology and Innovation (with Sports Coaching Electives)
The Higher Certificate’s sports coaching electives are designed to equip sports coaches with managerial, socio-economic, and performance-related insights, ensuring a well-rounded foundation for professional coaching.
Sports Coaching Electives
- Global and Local Development Perspectives on Sports Coaching – Understanding policies, governance, and market trends.
- Socio-Economic Factors in Sports Coaching – Exploring cultural, economic, and sociological influences on coaching.
- The Coach-Athlete Interface – Developing professional coaching relationships and methodologies.
- Sports Coaching: The Performance Arena – Preparing coaches to manage high-performance environments.
The DaVinci Institute’s Master of Business Leadership (with Sports Coaching Electives)
The SCL has partnered with The DaVinci Institute to offer sports coaching electives within the DaVinci MBL programme, equipping sports professionals with strategic leadership, performance management, and governance expertise.
Sports Coaching Electives
- Sport Coaching Effectiveness (12 credits) – Enhancing coaching impact and evaluation.
- Managing Performance in Sports Coaching (12 credits) – Covering nutrition, psychology, emotional well-being, spirituality, and physical conditioning.
- Strategic Leadership in Sports Coaching (12 credits) – Developing high-level decision-making and governance skills.
By integrating leadership, governance, and high-performance coaching principles, these programmes equip sports coaching professionals with the strategic, managerial, and technical expertise needed to excel in the industry. Whether at an entry-level or executive leadership level, these qualifications provide the knowledge and skills to drive innovation, influence policy, and elevate coaching standards in South Africa and beyond.
Our Founder
Dr. Desiree Vardhan is a Sports Coaching Specialist with over 30 years of experience as an athlete, coach, and sports administrator. She has held strategic leadership roles globally, including leading Team South Africa as Chef de Mission.
A driving force in sports coaching development, she co-authored the South African Coaching Framework and introduced the ICCE Coach Developer Program in South Africa. As Chair of the ICCE Emerging Nations Workgroup, she collaborates globally to advance coaching standards. Her doctoral research at The DaVinci Institute led to the creation of the Sports Coaching Lab (SCL), a platform dedicated to professionalizing and innovating sports coaching in South Africa.