What, when, how and why: Coaches' perceptions of coaching in junior rugby league

Abstract

An increasing body of research has explored how sports coaches learn and develop. However, insight into the fundamental dimensions that underpin coach learning in grassroots and/or junior sport could be more comprehensive. Accordingly, the current study aimed to explore junior rugby league coaches’ perceptions of the acquisition of new coaching knowledge, how this perceived learning is integrated with their coaching practice, and why they perceive different learning sources as an appropriate knowledge base from which to draw. Responses to an online survey, completed by practicing junior rugby league coaches (N = 111), were analysed descriptively and inductively. Findings suggest that informal learning sources were the most prevalent source of learning for coaches, although a rationale for such an emphasis was relatively unfounded. Coaches also appeared to find formal coach education useful; however, the content and suitability of current coaching qualifications when applied to junior modified versions of rugby league appears questionable.