Beyond the coach: contextual, community, and organizational predictors of coaches' perceived impact on athlete life...

Youth sport is widely regarded as a context for promoting positive youth development (PYD) and life skill development; however, inequities in the youth sport system can limit coaches' perceived ability to foster these outcomes. Guided by an integrated youth sport system perspective, this study examined how contextual factors, community-level resource access, and organizational training and support were associated with coaches' perceived impact on athlete life skill development.

Using data from the U.S. National Coach Survey (N = 4,964), hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted with predictors entered in three blocks: (1) context (school vs. community setting, urbanicity, proportion of athletes experiencing poverty, proportion of athletes identifying as Black, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, or multiracial), (2) access to community-level resources (e.g., equipment, transportation, safe practice spaces), and (3) organizational support and training [coaching certification, life skills training, administrative support, peer support, compensation (paid vs. unpaid), and having been evaluated last season].

Context accounted for 5.4% of the variance in perceived impact. Access to community-level resources accounted for an additional 1.7% of the variance, with equipment availability emerging as a significant predictor. Organizational support and training variables accounted for the largest increase in variance (ΔR ² = 6.5%, p < .01), with training in life skill development through sport, peer support, coaching certification, paid status, and prior evaluation associated with greater perceived impact on life skill development (R ² = .136).

Findings suggest that coaches' capacity to support life skill development can be shaped by factors within youth sport organizations and the broader youth sport context. More research is needed to understand drivers of coaching to support life skill development. Implications for practice, policy, and coach education are discussed.