The Head Coach as a Coach Developer: A Coach Education Case Study inside a World Champion Futsal Team

As teacher education, coach education is also a continuous and unfinished path by nature. This study explored how the head-coach (HC) of a world champion futsal team worked as a coach developer of their assistant-coaches (AC). Specifically, the main pedagogical strategies used, how they were applied, and impacted on the perceived professional development of their staff members were investigated. An interpretative case-study was adopted since it enables an in-depth investigation of the complexity and uniqueness of this particular technical staff in educational context. Participants included four experienced coaches, one HC and three ACs. Data was gathered through semi-structured interview method and analyzed by thematic analysis. Findings highlighted an intentional structuration of sequence and timings of the pedagogical tasks and activities assigned by the HC to ACs. Evidence emphasized the (i) vision of mistakes as learning opportunities, (ii) fostering commitment of ACs to enhance team performance, and (iii) space to plan and lead in practical contexts as the main strategies adopted by the HC, who also considered reflective skills as a paramount competency and pedagogical strategy in coach education. From ACs’ perspective, these strategies largely impacted their personal and professional growth. Findings could guide the re-design of future coach education programs.