Exploring parent and coach relationships in youth sport: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT

Extensive research recognises the complex and often conflictual nature of parents and coaches involvement in youth sport. There are very few accounts that deeply explore the nature of parent and coach relationships in the current stock of literature, even less so from a sociocultural perspective. This is significant given that the behaviours of parents and coaches can determine youth athletes’ enjoyment, motivation, and psychosocial development within sport. As such, this study sought to understand how parent and coach relationships develop in an Australian youth sport context. Based on qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews with parents (n = 10) and coaches (n = 10) in South Australia, four main themes were developed including the importance of credentials, the intermediary role, sharing goals, values, and expectations, and managing relational boundaries. The key findings suggest that parent and coach relationships are developed and shaped by broader aspects of society and culture, and beyond social exchanges with one another. It was found that this type of relationship is developed and maintained by wider discourses, historical and cultural specificity, and forms of language that reinforce a contemporaneous meaning and significance of parent and coach interactions.

KEYWORDS:

• Parent
• coach
• relationship
• qualitative
• youth sport

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kayleigh O’Donnell

Kayleigh O'Donnell is a second-year PhD student at the SHAPE Research Centre at Flinders University in Australia.

S. K. Elliott

Sam Elliott is a senior lecturer and researcher at the SHAPE Research Centre at Flinders University in Australia.

M. J. Drummond

Murray Drummond is the director of the SHAPE Research Centre at Flinders University in Australia.