Football Coaches Research Articles

“Being a woman in the men’s game, it’s brutal”: a longitudinal photo-elicitation exploration of a woman football coach’s well-being

Historically within UK professional football environments, women’s coaching representation has been low, irrespective of gender participation. The involvement of women coaches in the context of men’s football has been contested due to dominant hegemonic masculinity. For the limited number of women coaches in the men’s game, there is a need for deeper contextual understanding of how organizational dynamics and minority status intersect to shape well-being. An auto-driven photo-elicitation was employed to explore a woman coach’s well-being experiences longitudinally over a season whilst working in a men’s professional football club. Bioecological theory was utilized as a theoretical lens to enrich participant interpretations and sensemaking, and longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis (LIPA) was implemented to analyze interview data at four time points. Four experiential themes were created “I can’t hide that I am a woman, so it is gonna be different for me,” “I don’t really know which direction to go in,” “I’m trying to get the balance between professional and personal life,” and “If I’m not coaching, what am I?.” Our findings illuminated that the woman coach excessively worked to progress their career in the men’s side of the game, which had deleterious consequences for well-being (e.g., neglecting wider aspects of life). Being an authentic self and seeking a third space away from work and home-life commitments were perceived as therapeutic for well-being. Well-being sensemaking was enriched by utilizing an auto-driven photo-elicitation approach. Our work acts as a springboard for future work to creatively explore well-being within varying sports coaching contexts.

Beyond the scoreboard: Coaches' UV-related skin cancer knowledge in outdoor sports.

The global rise in UV radiation is widely recognized as one of the most relevant health impacts of climate change. Consequently, the prevalence of skin cancer is experiencing a significant increase, with outdoor athletes being identified as a particularly vulnerable population group. This study aims to investigate the extent of UV-specific skin cancer knowledge among coaches in outdoor sports and to examine potential variations in this knowledge between different sports, coach- and club-specific factors. This nationwide representative study was conducted among outdoor sports coaches from the 10 largest outdoor sports associations in Germany. Their knowledge of the risks associated with UV radiation and prevention measures were evaluated using the Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale (SCSK Scale). Out of 1200 participating trainers, the UV-specific skin cancer knowledge score averaged 17.76 (±2.98) on a scale ranging from 0 to 25. The true-false statements 'A tan is a sign that the skin is damaged' (true) and 'When using sunscreen, you can tan without any negative effects' (false) were most frequently answered incorrectly. Only 16% of participants correctly identified basal cell carcinoma as the most prevalent form of skin cancer. Differences in UV-specific skin cancer knowledge were evident across different sports, with football and tennis coaches showing the major knowledge deficits. Conversely, trainers in skiing, swimming and mountain sports demonstrated the highest levels of knowledge. Significant deficiencies in knowledge were particularly notable among male trainers, as well as those from the youngest and the oldest age group, with limited training experience and who primarily worked with children and adolescents in small clubs on a regular basis. Serious knowledge deficiencies are evident among German outdoor sports coaches. The study results emphasize the necessity for enhanced coach education and the implementation of evaluated concepts for climate adaptation in sports.

Leaders of None: Football Coaches and the Hegemony of Oppression

Leaders of None: Football Coaches and the Hegemony of Oppression

An Analysis of Racial Tasking and other Sport Management Theories through the Lived Experiences of Black College Football Coaches

An Analysis of Racial Tasking and other Sport Management Theories through the Lived Experiences of Black College Football Coaches

História Pequena de Um Gigante dos Ares

The article "A Small History of a Giant of the Skies" recounts a pivotal event in the history of air transport that took place on March 31, 1931, when a FOKKER F-10 trimotor from TWA suffered a tragic accident during a flight. Onboard was Knute Rokne, a renowned football coach, heading to Hollywood to supervise the production of a film about his team. The accident, which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and the death of all occupants, sparked a wave of criticism towards the aviation industry, particularly TWA, leading to a rigorous review of safety practices. The tragedy not only impacted the company's reputation but also prompted significant changes in safety standards and aircraft construction, marking the beginning of a new era in commercial aviation.

Improving Sentiment Analysis Accuracy Using CRNN on Imbalanced Data: a Case Study of Indonesian National Football Coach

Conducting sentiment research on the perception of the Indonesian people towards Shin Tae Yong's (STY) role as coach of the Indonesian National Football Team (PSSI) is crucial as it can assist PSSI in determining whether to extend STY's contract. Prior studies have demonstrated that Deep Learning achieves a high level of accuracy when applied to sentiment analysis in many domains. Nevertheless, no investigation has been conducted thus far utilizing deep learning techniques to examine emotion towards STY. This study employs modified Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), Convolutional Recurrent Neural Networks (CRNN), and CRNN models with and without data oversampling. The research findings indicate that the CRNN model, when combined with data oversampling and a redesigned architecture, achieves the highest level of accuracy (1.00) and consistently performs well. This research provides significant contributions in three areas: firstly, it utilizes Deep Learning techniques for sentiment analysis on STY; secondly, it modifies the CRNN architecture; and thirdly, it applies data oversampling to address the issue of imbalanced data.

Investigation of Superstitious Behavior Tendencies of Professional Football Players and Coaches

This study aims to elucidate the superstitious behavior tendencies of professional football players and club coaches. The research group consists of 22 football players and 9 football coaches selected through the "Criterion Sampling" method. The research is considered as basic qualitative research. These are qualitative research studies in which data are collected through documents, interviews, or observation analyses. The research design employed in this study is phenomenology (phenomenological research design) which is a qualitative research design. In this research, “Superstitious Belief” has been selected as the phenomenon and the meanings attributed to this phenomenon by football players and coaches are attempted to be revealed. Semi-structured interview forms have been prepared to identify the superstitious behavior tendencies of players and coaches. In this context, open-ended questions are asked to the participants to determine their superstitious behavior tendencies. The data obtained have been analyzed using the content analysis method. According to the findings, the Superstitious Behavior Tendency comprises a theme, a sub-theme, and six categories. Under the sub-theme of superstitious behavior tendencies among professional football players and coaches are the categories of Clothing-Appearance, Lucky Objects, Pre-match Ritual, In-match Behavior, Team Ritual, Faith and Prayer. The opinions of players and coaches regarding the questions prepared for this theme are presented. Word clouds have been created illustrating prominent codes under the identified categories based on data obtained from interviews with participants. In conclusion, beyond effective preparation and training phases for performance enhancement, it is discerned that some superstitious behavior tendencies exist among players, contributing to elevating their motivation and self-confidence to higher levels.

Out of the shadows into the limelight: the impact of commercialization on the Swedish men’s elite football coach from the 1960s until today

Until the 1960s, the elite coach was shadowed by elected representatives and amateur players. Since then, the professionalization process has transferred power to the coaches. As this process is intertwined with the commercialization of sport, the aim of this article is to advance the understanding of the impact of commercialization on the elite coach in a Scandinavian context. Through the lens of governmentality, and the Swedish men’s elite football coach as the example, the study shows how commercialization has impacted the coach’s power and responsibilities in the club, the relationships with the athletes, and with external stakeholders. The study draws on the board minutes and annual reports of a football club, education material from the Swedish coach education programme, and interviews with six former coaches. The results show that the governmentality of commercialization has placed the coach in the limelight, that they are responsible for guiding the players’ actions to enhance their economic value, and are the club’s outward face to convince external stakeholders to invest in football.

Football coach's strategy in preventing aggressive behavior in adolescents

This study aims to review the types of strategies that football coaches employ to prevent aggressive behavior in adolescents. Using the systematic literature review, data were obtained from articles searched through Google Scholar. The search focused on those published in Scopus-indexed journals published between 2019 and 2024. The keywords involved "Strategy And Soccer Coaches And Prevention And Aggressive Behavior And Teenagers". The search generated 15,400 articles as initial results. To be included in the review, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The articles were screened again using these criteria, and 19 articles that fit the theme and met the inclusion requirements were yielded. The process of the article selection in this study followed the PRISMA guidelines. The main findings of this study emphasized several factors that play a key role in creating a supportive environment for young athletes. The first factor was emotional education. Teaching athletes to recognize and manage their emotions helped football coaches reduce athletes’ aggressive reactions, especially during the pressure of competition. In addition, open and consistent communication between soccer coaches and athletes was reported to reinforce positive interpersonal relationships, which in turn lowered levels of aggressiveness on the field. Finally, building a team culture that emphasizes the values of cooperation and mutual respect has also been proven effective in preventing aggressive behavior. Therefore, soccer coaches have a great responsibility not only to develop athletes' technical skills but also to shape their character through an integrative and sustainable approach.

Exploring Soccer Coaching Methods: Design and Validation of a Measurement Instrument

Soccer coaches, although not prominently featured in the foreground, are essential to the outcomes of the sport. They are key figures between athletes and organizational goals. Choosing, retaining, and developing the greatest athletes is the cornerstone to a successful coaching career. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire that was determine the characteristic soccer coaching styles. A experimental study involved the participation of 207 soccer coaches (B, A and PRO UEFA coaching license). The questionnaire comprises 14 themes and consists of 65 items designed to evaluate soccer coaching styles, developed from the updated Leadership Scale for Sport. The validation of the developed instrument in this empirical study was conducted using two procedures: (1) factor analysis (PCA with oblique rotation) and (2) an internal consistency assessment (Scale Reliability Analysis – Cronbach's Alpha). Nineteen significant factors were extracted, and they are as follows: Player contribution to the game system; Cooperation/ Opinions; Implementation of coach's requirements; Teaching; Motivation; Conflict resolution; Informations; Sanction; Expressing an opinion; Error correction at own discretion; Highlighting the good and bad sides of players; Instructions; Team goal setting; Highlighting positivism/ negativism; The coach's personal expectations; Team solutions; Strategy creation; Social support; The influence of the team on coaching decision-making. By analyzing the data, it was determined that “B” football coaches are characterized by the coaching style "positive feedback", “A” soccer coaches by the "training and instructor" and "positive feedback" styles, while “PRO” coaches are characterized by the "positive feedback" style and a slightly lower frequency by the "training and instructor" style. Using only one coaching/leadership style is certainly a limiting factor, as different situations require different coaching approaches.

Focus on reflective competence: A triangulation to examine youth soccer coaches' reflective competence

Introduction & Purpose Coaching is recognized as a complex socio-educational interaction (Jones, 2007), a view supported by the German Football Association (DFB). The DFB emphasizes reflection in the development of football coaches, seeing it as essential for the quality of coaching and the holistic development of youth players. Reflective competence (RC) is seen as a key component of professionalization (DFB, 2022), defined as the ability and willingness to comprehensively deal with one’s own knowledge and actions in breadth and to achieve a certain depth in the reflexive and transformative engagement with issues (Krieg & Kreis, 2014). Studies show that coaches learn primarily through observation and experience (Cushion, et al., 2012), which risks perpetuating outdated behaviors. Against this background, our study asks: What (breadth) and how (depth) do youth coaches reflect on their knowledge and coaching practice? Method Seven coaches from DFB selection centers in Bavaria participated in the study. Their training sessions were videotaped and used for reflection in stimulated recall interviews (Dempsey, 2010). Coaches were asked about their understanding of reflection using narrative prompts and to reflect independently on their training sessions using the video sequences. Analysis included categorizing the understanding and relevance of reflection, as well as the breadth and depth of reflection, taking into account individual differences. Result Coaches understood reflection as “thinking about oneself” or “looking back” to consciously justify or improve practices. They showed a high level of willingness to reflect, especially valuing peer feedback. In terms of breadth, coaches mostly reflected on corrective feedback behaviors, error patterns, or training alternatives. However, the depth of reflection was limited; coaches often moved to transformative reflection without deeply analyzing issues, lacking detailed descriptions against related assumptions, previous experiences, or theoretical explanations. Discussion Coaches focused primarily on optimizing practices rather than examining issues in depth. The breadth of reflection is consistent with the DFB's shift from coach-dominated to player-dominated training practices. Conclusion Our study highlights the critical role of reflection in the professional development of youth soccer coaches at DFB selection centers in Bavaria. While coaches show a significant willingness to engage in reflective practices, there is a notable deficiency in the depth of their reflection. This highlights the need for enhanced reflective training programs that encourage deeper, more comprehensive engagement with coaching practices and theoretical knowledge. By fostering such reflective competence, coaches can contribute to a more nuanced and effective coaching methodology, ultimately benefiting the holistic development of youth players.

Investigating Painkiller Use in Amateur Football: A Coach's Perspective.

Painkiller use in amateur sports and, especially, in football is increasingly being discussed, but the scientific data on this field are very limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of painkiller use in amateur football from the perspective of coaches, as well as to determine how and to which extent coaches can influence their teams in terms of painkiller use and prevention. Using an online questionnaire, a cross-sectional analysis of painkiller use in German amateur football from the 4th league to the lowest amateur classes was carried out from the perspective of team coaches. A total of 628 participants were contacted, and 400 (63.7%) completed the questionnaire completely and were therefore included in the evaluation. Of the 400 participating team coaches in amateur football, 369 (92.3%) were male and 31 (7.7%) were female. The coaches reported that 36.2% (SD = 29.1) of their players have used painkillers at some point due to football-related pain in their career. The majority of coaches believed that the use of painkillers is not compatible with competition (74%), and even more believed that it is not compatible with football training (90.8%). Furthermore, 56.2% of the coaches themselves had already taken painkillers in their own football career for football-related pain, and 64% had already bought over-the-counter painkillers without a prescription. The use of painkillers increased in the higher playing levels. The availability of painkillers in first aid kits was reported by around 60%, but they were reported as freely accessible in the dressing room by only 10% of the coaches. This is the first study to describe the painkiller use in amateur football from the perspective of coaches. The prevalence of painkiller use in this study was found to be significantly lower than what is indicated in the data from the existing literature. The majority of coaches see the use of painkillers during games and training as incompatible, even though there is a large proportion of coaches who have already bought over-the-counter painkillers for football-related pain. As the first scientific analysis of team coaches, this study provides fundamental data for the prevention of excessive painkiller use in amateur football.

Effects of training repetition on young footballers’ tactical and physical performances: free and conditioned large-sided games

This study evaluated the consequences of repeating the same large-sided games, playing free or conditioned, during several training sessions on young footballers’ tactical and conditional performances and their variabilities. Thirty-two U14 and U16 developmental male footballers participated in the study. Both teams, divided into two balanced groups (free play and conditioned), faced each other during three eight-a-side games (seven vs seven, plus goalkeepers) during three training sessions. The free-play groups played as they pleased, while the conditioned groups played the games conditioned by tactical instructions. Tactical performance was assessed by central tendency and normalized approximate entropy measures of the distance of each player to the team centroid (m) and the distance of each player to their mean position (m), while the conditional performance was assessed by total distance (m) and walking, jogging, running, and sprinting distances traveled (m), and number of accelerations and decelerations performed. Whereas players’ average tactical and conditional responses scarcely varied between sessions, inter- and intra-player variabilities were always considerable (coefficient of variation >10%) regardless of the task conditions and the age group. In addition, all footballers’ conditional variability was substantially higher at faster speeds (jogging, running, and sprinting distances) than at slower ones (total distance and walking distance traveled), and for accelerations and decelerations performed. Implementing large-sided games with or without tactical instructions may be an appropriate training strategy to ensure stable and constant average responses for the team. Nevertheless, academy football coaches should bear in mind and manage the variability between and within players.

NCAA football coach compensation and non-price competition for football players

ABSTRACT College football coach salaries at big-time programmes have increased substantially in recent years. We investigate non-price competition for incoming athletes as a source of salary increases. The NCAA cartel ensures that athletes receive compensation limited to the cost of attending college, which prevents football programmes from competing for athlete’s services on a price (compensation) basis. Non-price competition frequently emerges under these conditions. We develop evidence that increases in head football coach salaries cause increased football recruiting success using an instrumental variables approach to control for correlation between salaries and unobservable institution-specific factors affecting recruiting success. Results from a sample of 90 FBS schools over the period 2006–2015 support the presence of non-price competition for college football players. Each $1 million increase in head coach salary increases the quality of the incoming class of football recruits by about one standard deviation.

A Project-Led Framework for Coach Development in English Men’s Professional Football: A Premier League Case Study

Coach education and development programmes are central to the professional development experiences of sport coaches. Typically, these programmes are structured and sequenced in a linear pathway, and present an opportunity for certification which can be a prerequisite to practice and/or employment. Increasingly, as learning becomes viewed as part of a coach’s lifeworld, versus simply as a means to an end, education and development provision is beginning to reflect this. This article introduces and explores the Coach Development Institute Programme, part of the Premier League’s Elite Coaching Plan, which seeks to improve the quality of football coaching in English boys’/men’s football by engaging coaches in a 2-year work-based learning opportunity. Built around a core of project-based learning and assessment, coaches are supported as they examine a series of meaningful performance problems in their unique practice environments. Through this work, we demonstrate how theories, concepts, and principles from the adult education and assessment as learning literature might work as they are applied in a coach education and development context. With such sparsity of case-based examples like this within the peer-reviewed literature, we intend that our contribution could inform, promote dialogue, and raise questions about authentically supporting coaches beyond a minimum standard of practice.

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Integrating sport psychology in grassroots football: enhancing performance and well-being

Problems: this research examines the psychological aspects of developing early childhood football players (grassroots football). support from coaches and parents and a holistic training program were critical factors in optimizing a player's potential. Purpose: the research aims to understand how psychological factors influence grassroots football players. this research will likely provide an evaluation of the critical role of sports psychology in developing grassroots football achievements. Methods: this research uses qualitative methods with a grounded theory approach. a total of 10 licensed coaches with a minimum of 5 years-experience in football coaching. this research uses data triangulation, namely open semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis, as data collection procedures. the information collected is then analyzed using predetermined themes. Results: the research using the interview method shows that effective motivation methods include positive feedback, setting realistic goals, and creating a competitive but supportive environment. coaches provide praise, set small goals, and create a positive training environment to increase players' self-confidence. in managing player stress, coaches use personal approaches, open communication, and mental training to help athletes overcome pressure. improving social skills in grassroots players is carried out through group exercises that encourage cooperation and participation in community football events. Conclusion: the research results and discussion can be analyzed to show that collaboration between coaches and parents is essential in supporting children's potential, with coaches focusing on developing techniques and understanding of the game and parents providing moral support without excessive pressure. this research confirms the importance of a comprehensive psychological approach to optimally developing early childhood football players.

Nurturing Football Talent: A Conceptual Framework for Talent Development Environment

ABSTRACT The environment is believed to play a crucial role in developing sport talents. Over the past two decades, a great deal of research has been carried out on sport talent development environment (TDE). However, few theoretical frameworks are dedicated to helping understand the TDE in a particular sport. Seeking a better understanding of the TDE in football, also known as “soccer” in North America, this study proposes a novel environmental framework that takes particular account of the situational characteristics of football, using a conceptual framework analysis. The framework is organized hierarchically with two main factors: sport and non-sport domains. The sport factor is further divided into four sub-factors: football coach, interaction with teammates, football training, and football competition. Academic and family support are identified as two sub-factors of the non-sport factor. This two-domain and six-factor TDE framework can help improve the understanding of the application of the TDE factors in the football context and thus optimize the football talent development practice.

An Empirical Estimation of NCAA Head Football Coaches Contract Duration

Abstract While previous research on head coach dismissals finds that team performance and managerial characteristics impact employment survival, these studies ignore the impact of contract modifications. Using an accelerated failure time survival model with hand-collected college head football coach contract data, I find that race/ethnicity affects the hazard rate of contract modifications but not the hazard rate of a head coach’s dismissal. Additionally, analysis of employment duration ignoring contract modifications may result in erroneous conclusions with respect to the effect that race/ethnicity has on a head coach’s dismissal.

Football-Generated Rent Sharing and Expenditures on Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics

Recent research contains evidence of rent sharing in intercollegiate athletic programs from revenues generated by football and men’s basketball and regulations restricting compensation to athletes. Title IX mandates equal opportunities for male and female college athletes, clearly impacting athletic department budgets. These factors create a rich environment for analyzing athletic spending decisions. We analyze spending on women’s sports for about 120 NCAA public FBS athletic departments. Results from instrumental variables models that account for the endogeneity of the rent proxy variable, head football coach salary, indicate the presence of rent sharing from football-generated rents to spending on women’s sports.