_________________________________________________________ The following is an examination of the importance Person-Organization Fit (PO Fit) can play in the policies and procedures of sport organizations, specifically with coaches in intercollegiate athletic departments. Three hundred three randomly selected members of coaching staffs at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels participated in the study. Hierarchical regressions and mean difference tests were determined in order to test three hypotheses. Specifically, perceptions of PO Fit, turnover intention, job satisfaction, and affective commitment were tested. In all, the authors found there were particular variables of PO Fit that predicted turnover intention, job satisfaction, and affective commitment. Furthermore, these variables changed based on the gender of the team. Coaches of male teams were found to have higher mean scores of PO Fit variables, but coaches of female teams had higher job intention. The discussion focuses both on possible reasons for such differences and also on important takeaways for coaches and athletic administrators alike. Limitations and suggestions for future research are provided.

This study aimed to test the relations of perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviours from coaches with athletes’ sport performance during competition in a context of female aesthetic group gymnastics. In line with self-determination theory, it was expected that the sequence of perceived psychological needs satisfaction and autonomous motivation, and psychological needs frustration and controlled motivation would mediate these relationships. Female aesthetic group gymnasts (n=128) ages 11–20 years completed self-report measures of perceived autonomysupportive and controlling behaviours from coaches, athletes’ needs satisfaction and needs frustration, including the need for novelty, as well as athletes’ autonomous and controlled motivation. Athletes’ objective performance during the competition was also obtained. Results from the single-indicator structural equation modelling analyses revealed a positive, indirect relationship between perceived autonomy-supportive behavi...

The aim of the study was to investigate job satisfaction and job commitment of coaches of the three major racket sports in Greek tennis, table-tennis and badminton. One hundred and ten (N = 110) tennis (NT= 61), table-tennis (NTT = 31) and badminton (NB = 18) coaches responded to the Coach Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), an eleven-factor instrument which assesses coaches’ job satisfaction and to the Occupational-Organizational Commitment Scale, a six factor questionnaire which evaluates the different forms of occupational and organizational commitment. Forty six of the coaches were full-time (NFT = 46) whereas of the rest, sixty four were part-time (NPT = 64). The results of a series of t-tests, ANOVAs and correlation analyses revealed various significant differences and relationships. Some of the most important are that: a) tennis coaches and full-time coaches were more satisfied in most of the job satisfaction dimensions, b) significant correlations were noticed between “job sat...

This study aimed to investigate sport coaches’ satisfaction in Greece among coaches of various sports. The Coach Satisfaction Scale (Drakou, 2006) was distributed to 700 coaches of 11 different sports investigating job satisfaction in nine dimensions: a) supervisor, b) nature of coaching, c) sport club’s tactics, d) colleagues, e) salary, f) coaching conditions, g) athletes’ performance, h) social dimension of coaching, and i) professional development. Football coaches had the higher level of satisfaction. Volleyball coaches and basketball coaches followed, while rhythmic gymnastics coaches, athletics coaches, rowing coaches and swimming coaches had the lowest scores. Additionally, coaches of individual sports had lower level of satisfaction compared to team sport coaches in six out of the nine dimensions. Finally, women coaches were significantly less satisfied than men coaches in seven out of the nine dimensions. The differences that arose from this research may exist because of t...

Coach education programs by National Gymnastics Federations (NGF) can provide in-depth and specific discussions and contribute to the development of gymnastics in different countries, as they address the specific interests and the people involved with it. For these actions to take place, a certain level of organization of the institutions is required and the existence of specific committees or commissions can contribute to this process since they possess the knowledge of the area and are familiar with organization of relevant actions. This study aims to explore the provisionof coach education programs for Gymnastics for All (GFA) and the organization of NGF worldwide. In total, 44 NGFs were consulted about the existence of such committees or commissions and the promotion of coach education programs for GFA and other gymnastics modalities. We used an online questionnaire hosted on the Google Forms® platform, in four languages. The answers were processed by simple statistics and analy...

Coaches play a vital role in providing sports programs. Investing in formal coach education can serve to increase coaches’ human capital, which in turn, has a positive effect on their coaching practice. The present study investigates factors influencing coaches’ intention to get training for their coaching activity on an individual and organizational level. Nationwide online surveys were conducted in Germany on both nonprofit sports clubs and coaches being active within these clubs. Data were analyzed using multilevel regression analysis on a sample of n = 2,384 coaches in n = 1,274 clubs. Results show that especially the expiring validity of the coaching license, aspects of personal development, and low transaction costs are crucial factors for the intention to obtain a qualification. The results lead to several implications for theory and practice. Clubs could enhance the qualification intention and, thereby, the quality of sports programs by appointing a contact person who inform...

"The purpose of this study was to specify a set of attributes, identified as important precursors to coach selection. Executive coaching has grown exponentially, but there have been few studies as to the efficacy of coaching, including the factors that influence a manager’s choice of coach. This study sought to identify these factors. The 45-item, online survey produced 267 useable responses. Results of the principal component analysis suggested a five-factor solution, with women showing a statistically significant preference over men for coaches who have the Ability to Develop Critical Thinking and Action, the Ability to Forge the Coaching Partnership ,and Coach Experience and Qualifications. The impact of coachee age was not significant in selecting executive coaches. The findings show a statistically significant relationship between coach attributes and the intention to continue with coaching. The implications of these findings for the selection of coaches, and for the coaching profession are discussed."