The Hidden Struggles of Elite Coaching: How Coaches (Don’t) Balance Athlete Welfare with the Pressure to Perform

We examined how coaches navigate the challenges of high-performance sport while ensuring athlete welfare. Using an ethnographic approach spanning 18 months at a high-performance gymnastics center, data from coaches (n = 6), parents (n = 7), and athletes (n = 12) were collected through both participant and non-participant observations (n = 30), semi-structured interviews (n = 22), post-session analyses with coaches (n = 5), and document reviews. Analysis revealed the struggle coaches experienced balancing athlete welfare with the pressure to perform. Specifically, five key themes were developed: (a) managing athletes’ expectations, (b) maintaining transparency with all stakeholders, (c) acting in alignment with values, (d) personal coping mechanisms in a highly scrutinized environment, and (e) managing other coaches’ egos. Findings indicate that coaches endure tremendous internal and external pressure to reconcile and balance athlete welfare with the demands of high-performance coaching, which took a significant physical and mental toll. Surprisingly, the most concerning issues for coaches were relationships with other coaches and being told they were “too nice” to make it as an elite coach. Findings demonstrate an urgent need for sporting organizations and coach education programs to provide more systematic and comprehensive support for coaches. This would help retain them in the profession and provide ongoing support and development for those who continue to endure the many challenges of the profession.