Profile of grassroots football coaches of Spanish professional clubs

Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the profile and education of grassroots football coaches (working with 8-12-year olds) of Spanish professional clubs (first and second male division, and first female division), as well as the qualities and characteristics they should have. For this purpose, an ad hoc questionnaire of 57 questions was used, grouped into seven dimensions, and administered to 153 coaches. This research focuses on the socio-demographic variables as well as on the dimensions of the coach’s qualities and coach’s education. The results showed that the profile of the coach corresponded to the following: male between 20 and 30 years of age, with experience in football initiation of 4-7 years, but with a 2-year experience in coaching boys and girls aged 8-12 years, with the specific football qualification level II or Union of European Football Associations A. The coaches considered it very important to have pedagogical skills and to use coaching methods that focus on learning rather than on results in order to be a coach in these age categories. Moreover, the participants considered that the training received in the official coaching courses did not adequately qualify them to carry out the sporting and human education of boys and girls in the benjamin (under 10) and alevin (under 12) age categories. The coaches also felt that the contents of the coaching course should be adjusted to the requirements of these age groups. These considerations can help sports federations and training centres to establish strategies to improve the official training programmes for football coaches.