Experiences of occupational stress and social support in Australian Football League senior coaches
Abstract
Sports coaching has evolved into a recognizable occupation that requires multiple roles and responsibilities. The Australian Football League is considered one of the highest profile sports in Australia, and as a result, Australian Football League coaches are perceived to operate in a complex and stressful environment; yet, there is no evidence to support this notion. The purpose of this research was, therefore, to examine the experiences of occupational stress and social support of Australian Football League senior coaches. A total of 12 senior Australian Football League coaches were involved in one semi-structured interview. Five themes emerged from the findings. These included: (i) pressurized workplace environments; (ii) development and improvement of others and self; (iii) accountabilities and responsibilities to others; (iv) advice, support and comfort from others and (v) stress and adversity—the ramifications. This research has contributed to the Australian sports coaching industry and is a critical step in gaining a richer and broader understanding of stress and social support among elite coaches globally.
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Elite-level coaches perform diverse roles and responsibilities beyond technical, tactical, and strategic expertise, including educator, motivator, counsellor, and friend.
“In addition to their technical, tactical, and strategic expertise, coaches also serve as educators, motivators, counsellors and even friends [1–4].”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [1]
Elite-level coaches encounter organisational challenges including long working hours, job insecurity, media scrutiny, and pressures to satisfy board/management expectations.
“On top of performance pressures, elite-level coaches also encounter multiple organisational challenges, including long working hours, job insecurity, media scrutiny and pressures to satisfy board/management expectations [1, 6–9].”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [1]
Elite-level coaches operate in the same elite-level environments as athletes but arguably possess a greater set of performance and organisational responsibilities.
“This is significant as coaches operate in the same elite-level environments as athletes, but arguably possess a greater set of performance and organisational responsibilities, given they are often expected to manage and oversee the performances of multiple athletes [7], whilst simultaneously acting as the public face and cultural identity of a sporting organisation [1].”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [1]
Elite-level coaches generally experience time-related challenges due to internally and externally imposed pressures.
“Given elite-level coaches generally experience time-related challenges due to internally and externally imposed pressures [1, 4, 8]”
From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [1]
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References 53 · Cited by 53
- Authors
- Knights, S., & Ruddock-Hudson, M.
- Affiliations
- La Trobe University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Knights, Sophie
- Venue
- International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-03-15
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 162-171
- ISSN
- 1747-9541 (ISSN-L)
- 2048-397X
- OpenAlex
- W2341419541
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 4.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Physical Education and Sports Studies
- Keywords
- occupational stress, social support, sports coaches, Australian Football League, elite coaching, workplace pressure, stress and adversity, coach development
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