International Journal of Sport Management

The Influence of the Market-Driven Private Youth Sport Setting on Sport Delivery: A Multi-Level Approach to Understanding the Coaches’ Perspective

Edward Horne, Luke Mao, Matthew Bowers, Gemma Miller

The authors explore the influence of the private youth sport setting’s market-driven environment on the delivery of sport from the coaches’ perspective. The context of tennis was used to recruit a sample of 20 private sport program coaches based in the United States. Semi-structured interviews and one focus group, guided by a multilevel framework were used to understand coaches’ perspective of how the private sport setting influences coaches and sport delivery. Findings show coaches contend with an environment where revenue generation is the overwhelming priority. Coaches believe it necessary to conform to the expectations of their environment and sport program for the sake of their livelihoods, while acknowledging the detrimental effect their conformity has on the quality of sport they deliver. Suggestions for addressing suboptimal sport delivery include rethinking how sport programs incentivize coaches and alternative youth competition formats.

Keywords: youth sport; coaches; multilevel framework; sport delivery

Citation: Horne, E., Mao, L., Bowers, M., & Miller, G. (2025). The influence of the market-driven private youth sport setting on sport delivery: A multi-level approach to understanding the coaches’ perspective. International Journal of Sport Management, 26(1), 51-78.

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