Next fall, there will be 100 Chinese coaches at the U.
They will not be coaching any teams themselves but will be working with the athletics department to form a new training program.
The coaching education program, developed by the U, Arizona State University, the Pac-12 conference, Chinese Scholarship Council and the Federation University Sports China, will last 90 days. The U and ASU will house and train coaches in men’s and women’s basketball, swimming, track and field. Cheerleading may also be offered at the U, said Ron Barker, associate commissioner of the Pac-12.
“They have looked at the U.S. system — how they are able to combine education and sports — and this is something that intrigues them,” Barker said.
Currently, China’s collegiate sports are considered clubs and are run by the Federation University Sports China under the Ministry of Education. This new program, for both high school and collegiate coaches, is funded by the Chinese Scholarship Council.
The decision is part of a new relationship the conference is developing with China. There are more than 21,000 Chinese undergrad and grad students at Pac-12 universities. The main goal is to broaden the Pac-12 brand into China, Barker said.
While recruiting Chinese athletes is not their focus, it may be an additional benefit, said Chris Hall, athletic director of the U.
“We were teasing the other day that if they had a seven-foot basketball player we would be happy to have them come over, but the benefit is more for the university attracting students to the campus,” Hall said.
The U and Arizona State University were two of four universities in the running to host the program and were chosen for their available housing, Barker said.
The coaches will be at the University Guest House next September for their three-month stay. They will learn training and coaching techniques, team-building strategies and the dynamics of combining academics with sports. After 53 days of instruction, the coaches will work with the nutrition and sports psychology departments. Translators will be provided.
Barker and Hall said this program will not interfere with the training and season of the sports participating. Head coaches will not play major roles.
“We want to provide the experience, but first and foremost, our teams are what’s most important,” Hall said.
The program will run during the competitive seasons of three of the four sports. At the end of the program, each coach will receive a certificate of completion.