Things Ain’t What They Used to Be? Coaches Perceptions of Commitment in Developing Athletes

Appropriate levels of commitment are fundamental to the adolescent athlete, if they are to be successful in progressing through their high-performance environments (e.g., Hill, McNamara, & Collins, 2015). Accordingly, the present study sought to ascertain academy coaches’ perceptions regarding commitment in their developing athletes. Specifically, to understand the levels of perceived commitment, associated behaviors, commonalties and contrasts apparent across a range of sporting environments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 male UK-based academy coaches (M age = 41.25, SD = 8.76 years), whom worked full time with elite youth performers between the ages of 15 to 18 years. The sample comprised four soccer coaches, four coaches from other team sports (rugby union, rugby league, and cricket) and four coaches from individual sports (swimming, tennis, judo, and badminton), with a mean of 13.67 years’ coaching experience (SD = 8.42 years). Inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) identified the following overarching themes: a) what do we want? b) what are they like? and c) what do we do? The study provides a valuable insight into the ideal commitment characteristics and the reality of the adolescent athlete, along with current strategies coaches are employing within their practice. By adding to the understanding of this important area, we hope sporting organizations, practitioners, parents, and coaches can use the information to tailor their interventions and service provision accordingly in supporting their athletes negotiate key developmental opportunities.