Recovery–stress imbalance in Australian Football League coaches: A pilot longitudinal study

Abstract

Coaching employment in high-performance sport is capricious and dependent upon winning performances and players’ satisfaction. These internal and external pressures to perform successfully throughout the season have the potential to create significant stress for coaches. Moreover, as the season progresses the accumulation of stress and the ability to engage in recovery means are likely to cause a negative recovery–stress balance. Participants of this study were six male full-time and paid coaches working for a professional Australian Football League (AFL) team. The coaches completed the general Recovery-Stress Questionnaire at eight time points during pre-season and throughout the competitive season. The data indicating stress levels did not increase over the competitive season but decreases in recovery scores were assessed. The two-week vacation had a positive influence on recovery for these coaches but it was short lived. There was a fluctuation of scores over the season. The head coach had a different recovery–stress profile compared with the assistant coaches. The study highlights the importance of recovery in managing recovery–stress balance in the challenging work environments of coaches. Due to conditions in the sport setting, individuals may not always be able to reduce their stress levels, and therefore improved recovery is required to deal with the demands of occupational stress.