Selimi, Erch ORCID: 0000-0003-4190-3030 (2024) Coach Education in Australian Football: the difference between knowing the path and walking the path. PhD thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

Formal coach education represents an important component of the coach development landscape. With that said, there is a lack of research that addresses coach education in Australian football (soccer). To remedy this, the current doctoral thesis undertook an exploratory, responsive approach to inquiry, which led to the emergence of three interwoven studies. Each followed a qualitative methodology, ranging from semi-structured interviews, to critical conceptual analyses. In Study One, 20 highly-credentialed Australian football coaches were interviewed, gleaning perspectives on: (i) coach education, (ii) their role as coaches, and (iii) practice design. Findings revealed that coaches were generally critical of Football Australia’s current educative model, deeming practices as ineffective in preparing them for the realities of coaching. This was traced to the delivery of abstract content within decontextualised settings. In response, Study Two critically analysed the epistemological foundation of the current coach education model in Australian football. This led to the advancement of a situated approach to coach education, grounded in the relationality of enskilment. Study Three concretised this situated approach by interviewing 28 Australian football coaches, coach educators, and football administrators. Interviews oriented three predetermined themes: (i) the benefits of adopting a situated approach, (ii) the barriers associated with such an approach, and (iii) potential strategies for its successful integration. While each study contributed to the discourse, collectively, they helped assemble a strategic report that is to be delivered to Football Australia, offering key recommendations for how a situated approach to coach education could be integrated in Australian football. While further work is required, the implications of this doctoral thesis are wide-reaching, primarily extending to improved educative experiences for Australian football coaches.

Search Google Scholar

Repository staff login