Youth soccer coaches’ practice, agency, and professionalism: an intrapersonal identity perspective

Despite extensive research on the implications of athletic identity for coaching practice and scholarly recognition of the dynamic and fluid nature of coaches’ identity formation, scholars have overlooked the interaction between coaches’ athletic identity and their multiple other identities. This gap is especially significant given that studies have long pointed out the existence of a multiple identity structure and indicated that intrapersonal identity relations are a fundamental driver of individual behavior. Addressing this gap, we used Ramarajan's (2014, Past, present and future research on multiple identities: Toward an intrapersonal network approach. Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 589–659. https://doi.org/10.5465/19416520.2014.912379) network of identities theory to explore how the dynamics of coaches’ identities affect their professional considerations, practices, and agency. Deductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 28 male Israeli youth sport coaches unveiled a dual identity framework, encompassing both athletic and coaching identities. Within this framework, three distinct identity structures and relationships emerged in the contexts of winning, trainee selection, and inclusivity in play. With regard to winning and trainee selection, coaches reinforced competitive norms that potentially constrained professional growth but in the area of inclusivity in play, a dialectic identity process emerged. This process fostered professional exploration, demonstrating agency despite the deeply embedded nature of the athletic identity. Although prior research has examined sport coaches’ agency through their behaviors, our findings suggest that agency was prompted by intrapersonal conflict between equally important identities. This dual identity framework enabled coaches to distance themselves from their athletic identity while simultaneously drawing strength and stability from their coaching identity. We recommend increasing coaches’ awareness of their complex identity structures and supporting them in cultivating diverse identities that encourage critical reflection on their coaching practices.