Exploring the interplay between long-term planned goals and short-term plan implementation in coaching a youth male soccer team: A qualitative case study

In soccer, planning should be based on long-term goals but is typically highly dictated by each week's game. Planning unfolds through the constant interplay between long-term goals and short-term constraints, making it one of the biggest challenges for coaches to articulate and intertwine these two timeframes. This qualitative case study explored how a soccer coach managed the interplay between contents planned in the long-term and the implementation of short-term plans in a youth soccer team. One coach and twelve players participated in this study over eight consecutive weeks. The lead author assumed the dual role of researcher and head-coach, collecting data through documented coach planning, field notes, and reflective diary. Data was examined through thematic analysis, which emerged three major themes: (1) changes in short-term planning due to intrinsic factors (e.g., responses to the proposed drills); (2) adaptations in short-term planning due to extrinsic factors (e.g., absence of the players in training); (3) consequences of the interplay between short-term and long-term planning contents. These factors led the coach to modify short-term training plans to address emerging player and team needs, resulting in adjustments to the sequence of long-term planned content. To support this process, the coach employed pedagogical approaches to design and adapt tasks within short-term plans while continuously assessing key performance indicators to advance long-term planning. Therefore, coaches can establish long-term goals to guide short-term planning. Still, these must remain flexible to accommodate players and the team's needs, reinforcing the dynamic interplay between planning and adaptation in coaching practice.