Advancing positive youth development-focused coach education: contextual factors of youth sport and youth sport leader perceptions

Rationale/purpose: Participation in youth sport can lead to positive psychological, social, and physical outcomes. However, youth sport is highly diverse as each specific sport consists of varying contextual factors such as the type of sport, level of sport, and team gender. The current study examines the relationship between contextual factors of youth sport and what youth sport leaders (YSLs) perceive to be prominent issues and topics in their specific sport context. By understanding these relationships, positive youth development-focused coach education can be advanced to meet the diverse needs of YSLs who are charged managing the youth sport context. Design/methodology/approach: A brief online survey was used to identify the issues and topics that YSLs perceive to be the most prominent within their specific youth sport context. Findings: YSLs most frequently identified teamwork, parental influence, and sportspersonship. Moreover, communication effectiveness was most likely to be recognized as important for male sport teams and no-contact sport teams, while positive youth development was considered important by no-contact sports and sports with younger participants. Additionally, missed opportunities related to social justice issues that permeate sport and society are discussed. Practical implications and research contribution: Findings from the current exploratory study can be used to advance PYD-focused coach education by not only identifying common issues and topics across youth sport, but also by addressing context-specific needs.