Coaches’ definitions of success in sport: A rapid review

This rapid review examined how sport coaches conceptualise success, a term widely invoked yet rarely defined within coaching practice and policy. The review synthesised findings from 17 articles published between 2000 and 2024 that explicitly included coaches’ voices. Using a deductive coding framework encompassing performance, sport growth, personal growth, emotional growth, and coach-oriented outcomes, the analysis revealed success as being a multivalent, contextually-driven, dynamic and complex concept. Personal development of athletes and winning were frequently cited as ways in which coaches defined success, but no article cited winning as the only definition of success. The breadth of ways in which coaches understood what defined success presents the potential for tension within sporting contexts, especially if coaches’ definitions do not align with those of other stakeholders. This underscores the importance of establishing shared definitions of success within sporting environments to reduce tensions among stakeholders and promote aligned, holistic approaches to sport experiences.