Continuing the conversation: charting a course for a situated approach to coach education in Australian football

The aim of this study was to explore the benefits, barriers and strategies associated with integrating a situated approach to coach education in Australian football (soccer). To do so, an interpretivist qualitative research design was used, in which a diverse range of credentialed and experienced Australian football coaches, coach educators, coach education managers, and administrators (n = 28) participated in a series of semi-structured interviews. Participants expressed a strong desire for coach education to be grounded in ‘real-world’ coaching contexts, alongside the guidance of mentors to afford coaches a richer landscape to learn the ‘realities of coaching’. Real-world learning experiences were also deemed to be more meaningful and relevant to coaching practice, fostering a deeper and more nuanced understanding of coaching practice, addressing some of the shortcomings associated with Football Australia's current coach education model. However, participants also identified a number of systemic, institutional and cultural barriers associated with integrating a situated approach, including a perceived lack of value placed on coach education by Football Australia, a ‘closed-off’ culture in the coaching community and governance issues related to mentorship. Against the backdrop of these challenges, participants were optimistic about the prospects of integrating a situated approach to coach education in Australian football. As a result, we map out a way forward for a situated approach that focuses on two key strategies: (i) establishing club environments as the primary locus of coach education, and (ii) integrating mentorship as a core pillar of coach education.