Re-thinking the training of football coaches around educational values and Soft Skills

Abstract

As a worldwide social and cultural phenomenon, football has a particular responsibility in terms of the values conveyed by sport, particularly for young players and spectators. Currently, the training of football coaches is mainly aimed at developing skills related to sporting performance. This activity-centred approach questions the place given to the person in these training environments. However, active – even agentic (Reeve et al., 2020) – engagement is the hallmark of the coach who, through his or her values, perceptions of efficacy and behaviours (Bandura, 2001), has a direct influence on the athletes he or she coaches. In this article, we focus on the pedagogical processes, methods and content involved in these training situations. The aim is to show the impact of French coach training on their commitment, their soft/life skills and their ability to transmit educational values. Finally, we will make proposals aimed at rethinking the training of tomorrow’s coaches.