Career experiences of support from coaches: A comparison between elite and super-elite athletes

Although we know that significant others play an important role in athlete development, the specific role of coaches’ support along the developmental pathway remains unclear. Using qualitative methods, we compared perceptions of coach support among 16 elite and 16 super-elite Olympic athletes as they progressed through Fundamentals, Emerging Commitment, Commitment to Excellence, and Mastery stages of development. Thematic analysis with exemplar quotes highlighted the critical role of coach support. The results also revealed differences in the experience of coach support between elite and super-elite athletes – super-elite athletes perceived their support needs were met, whereas elite athletes did not. Complementary frequency counts indicated that super-elite athletes reported more support instances across all stages and fewer reports of lacking support at three of the four stages. A supplementary chi-square test further revealed that these coach support differences were significant at the Mastery stage. This study provides the first evidence that coach support influences the super-elite athlete career pathway, perhaps most notably at the Mastery stage. The findings suggest that coaches should ensure athletes perceive consistent support from them throughout development and recognise the significant positive impact their support can have at the Mastery stage—that is, it is never too late to provide support.