TY - JOUR
T1 - “I don’t believe any qualifications are required”: Exploring global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches
AU - Watson, Matthew
AU - Trotter, Michael G.
AU - Laborde, Sylvain
AU - Leeder, Thomas M.
N1 - Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author due to ethical reasons and the potential for deductive disclosure.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
PY - 2025/7/4
Y1 - 2025/7/4
N2 - Esports is a global industry, with coaches widely regarded as having a pivotal role in facilitating player development and enhancing performance. Despite this, limited research has investigated the developmental experiences of esports coaches and how they are valued by diverse stakeholder groups. Consequently, the aim of this research is to explore global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches. Data were collected via a qualitative online survey completed by 98 participants, representing 28 nationalities, across six esports stakeholder groups (head coach, assistant coach, player, team manager, performance staff, analyst). Following a reflexive thematic analysis process, three themes were generated: (1) Speaking the same language: the importance of playing and knowing the game; (2) Walking the walk: the need for coaching experience to demonstrate competency; and (3) Formal professional learning and development: a bone of contention. By understanding how diverse stakeholders value different developmental experiences, the findings offer unique insights into the contested nature of coach development in esports. This research contributes to the esports coaching literature and provides a foundation for future empirical research into this emerging area, with recommendations and implications for esports coach education and practice discussed.
AB - Esports is a global industry, with coaches widely regarded as having a pivotal role in facilitating player development and enhancing performance. Despite this, limited research has investigated the developmental experiences of esports coaches and how they are valued by diverse stakeholder groups. Consequently, the aim of this research is to explore global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches. Data were collected via a qualitative online survey completed by 98 participants, representing 28 nationalities, across six esports stakeholder groups (head coach, assistant coach, player, team manager, performance staff, analyst). Following a reflexive thematic analysis process, three themes were generated: (1) Speaking the same language: the importance of playing and knowing the game; (2) Walking the walk: the need for coaching experience to demonstrate competency; and (3) Formal professional learning and development: a bone of contention. By understanding how diverse stakeholders value different developmental experiences, the findings offer unique insights into the contested nature of coach development in esports. This research contributes to the esports coaching literature and provides a foundation for future empirical research into this emerging area, with recommendations and implications for esports coach education and practice discussed.
U2 - 10.3390/educsci15070858
DO - 10.3390/educsci15070858
M3 - Article
SN - 2227-7102
VL - 15
SP - 1
JO - Education Sciences
JF - Education Sciences
IS - 7
M1 - 858
ER -