“I don’t believe any qualifications are required”: Exploring global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches

Watson, Matthew, Trotter, Michael G., Laborde, Sylvain and Leeder, Thomas M. (2025) “I don’t believe any qualifications are required”: Exploring global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches. Education Sciences, 15 (7). p. 1. ISSN 2227-7102

Preview

PDF (education-15-00858) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (344kB) | Preview

Abstract

Esports is a global industry, with coaches widely regarded as having a pivotal role in facilitating player development and enhancing performance. Despite this, limited research has investigated the developmental experiences of esports coaches and how they are valued by diverse stakeholder groups. Consequently, the aim of this research is to explore global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches. Data were collected via a qualitative online survey completed by 98 participants, representing 28 nationalities, across six esports stakeholder groups (head coach, assistant coach, player, team manager, performance staff, analyst). Following a reflexive thematic analysis process, three themes were generated: (1) Speaking the same language: the importance of playing and knowing the game; (2) Walking the walk: the need for coaching experience to demonstrate competency; and (3) Formal professional learning and development: a bone of contention. By understanding how diverse stakeholders value different developmental experiences, the findings offer unique insights into the contested nature of coach development in esports. This research contributes to the esports coaching literature and provides a foundation for future empirical research into this emerging area, with recommendations and implications for esports coach education and practice discussed.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author due to ethical reasons and the potential for deductive disclosure. Funding: This research received no external funding.
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Sport, Health And Education
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	07 Jul 2025 09:30
Last Modified:	07 Jul 2025 09:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99840
DOI:	10.3390/educsci15070858

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item