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Research & Innovation

Science at the heart
of coaching.

Where coaching science meets the training pitch.

ECP Lab is our research and innovation hub. We reference peer-reviewed research and publish anonymised findings from the ECP platform - making the evidence base for coach development accessible in one place.

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Research Context

How closely does a coach's self-perception match their actual behaviour?

Original title: “An investigation of the practice activities and coaching behaviours of professional top-level youth soccer coaches”

Our framing of the research context

Studying professional youth soccer coaches, this paper found a clear gap between what coaches said they wanted to do and what actually happened in sessions. Coaches spoke about developing decision makers and the whole player, but their practice was still dominated by prescriptive instruction. It shows why coach reflection alone can be unreliable without objective evidence of actual coaching behaviour.

Partington, M., & Cushion, C. (2013). An investigation of the practice activities and coaching behaviours of professional top-level youth soccer coaches. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 23(3), 374-382.

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Research Context

Observation only creates value when it feeds development

Original title: “Re-visiting systematic observation: A pedagogical tool to support coach learning and development”

Our framing of the research context

This article argues that systematic observation should be used as a coach development tool, not just as a research method. It explains how behavioural data, video, feedback and reflective questions help coaches understand what they are doing and improve their practice. It shows how coaching can move beyond opinion, memory and assumption into clearer evidence of what actually happens.

Cope, E., Cushion, C. J., Harvey, S., & Partington, M. (2022). Re-visiting systematic observation: A pedagogical tool to support coach learning and development. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 4, 962690.

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Research Context

How the literature defines coaching effectiveness - beyond results

Original title: “An Integrative Definition of Coaching Effectiveness and Expertise”

Our framing of the research context

This paper defines effective coaching as more than winning, technical knowledge or experience. It argues that effective coaches need professional, interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge to support athlete outcomes in specific contexts. It gives a broader definition of coaching quality, showing that great coaching depends on knowledge of the sport, relationships with people and the ability to reflect.

Côté, J., & Gilbert, W. (2009). An Integrative Definition of Coaching Effectiveness and Expertise. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 4(3), 307-323.

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Research Context

What a structured coach development programme achieved in one UK cohort

Original title: “Women coaches leadership development programme: an evaluation study of programme effectiveness”

Our framing of the research context

Evaluating a women's coach leadership development programme, this paper found that the programme helped raise awareness, build knowledge, create connections and support progression into senior roles. It argues that investing in individual coaches is part of wider systemic change - coach development is not just personal improvement, it can influence workforce quality, leadership pathways and organisational culture.

Jowett, S., Slade, K., Gosai, J., & Davis, L. (2024). Women coaches leadership development programme: an evaluation study of programme effectiveness. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6, 1433787.

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Research Context

Does formal education change coaching behaviour on the pitch?

Original title: “An exploration of the relationship between educational background and the coaching behaviours and practice activities of professional youth soccer coaches”

Our framing of the research context

Comparing English professional youth soccer coaches with and without university-level coaching qualifications, this study found real differences in practice. Graduate coaches used significantly more divergent questioning, showed greater self-awareness of their own behaviour, and gave richer reasoning for their choices - including using silence deliberately to prompt player decision-making. One of the first studies to link formal coach education to observable differences in behaviour, not just coach opinion.

Stonebridge, I., & Cushion, C. (2018). An exploration of the relationship between educational background and the coaching behaviours and practice activities of professional youth soccer coaches. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 23(6), 636-656.

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Research Context

Structural barriers in coach development pathways

Our framing of the research context

Examines why women remain heavily under-represented in UK coaching and argues that the barriers are structural rather than individual. The paper shows how coach education, selection and progression routes are built around assumptions that disadvantage women, and calls for the system itself to be examined rather than the coaches within it.

Norman, L. (2008). The UK Coaching System is Failing Women Coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 3(4), 447-476.

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Research Context

Twenty-five years of research on the coach-athlete relationship

Original title: “25 years of relationship research in sport: The quality of the coach-athlete relationship as defined by Closeness, Commitment, Complementarity and Co-orientation (3+1Cs Model)”

Our framing of the research context

Reviewing 25 years of coach-athlete relationship research, this paper argues that relationships are central to better coaching and a more positive sport experience. It highlights trust, respect, connection and dialogue as important parts of athlete development. It frames coaching as relational rather than purely technical: the quality of interaction between coach and athlete shapes both the experience and the effectiveness of sport.

Jowett, S. (2025). 25 years of relationship research in sport: The quality of the coach-athlete relationship as defined by Closeness, Commitment, Complementarity and Co-orientation (3+1Cs Model). Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 80, 102909.

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Data Finding

92.7% of training sessions remain unobserved - the visibility problem in professional coach development

Based on aggregated platform data across ECP partner clubs, we find that the average coach developer observes fewer than 8% of all training sessions delivered by their coaching staff during a given season. The 92.7% gap represents undocumented coaching behaviour - development potential lost, poor practice undetected, and Club DNA compliance unverifiable.

2024 · ECP Lab Request Report
Data Finding

Tactical instruction dominates across age groups - but its proportion varies significantly

ECP platform analysis of sessions across professional and academy contexts reveals that tactical instruction accounts for 35-42% of verbal communication in adult football. In U12 and younger age groups, this drops to 18-24% - with motivational and organisational categories filling the gap. The finding has direct implications for age-appropriate coaching frameworks and licence curriculum design.

2024 · ECP Lab Request Report
About these publications

The publications listed here are independent academic research. They are not about EliteCoachPro and were not commissioned or funded by us. They we reference them without any involvement of their authors. The headlines and summaries are our own editorial framing of the research context, not statements by the authors. We link to the original publications so you can read them in full.

Research Partnerships

ECP Lab is actively establishing research partnerships with different organisations. Announcements will follow once agreements are in place.

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Are you a researcher, institution or coaching body with work relevant to coaching communication and development? ECP Lab is actively building partnerships. Reach out to discuss collaboration, data access or publication opportunities.

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About the research referenced on this site

EliteCoachPro references independent, peer-reviewed academic publications to describe the research context in which our product operates.

These publications are not studies of EliteCoachPro. They were not commissioned, funded, or influenced by EliteCoachPro or brain4SPORTS GmbH. We reference them without any involvement of their authors, co-authors, universities or publishers, who have not reviewed or approved our product, our methodology, or any statement made on this site.

All headlines, summaries, and framing are the editorial interpretation of EliteCoachPro. They are not quotations from, or statements by, the authors. Where our framing and the original findings could diverge, the original publication is authoritative - we link to each one so you can verify it yourself.

These publications describe general research on coaching behaviour, coach development, and the coach-athlete relationship. They do not evidence the effectiveness, accuracy, or outcomes of the EliteCoachPro platform.

Copyright in all referenced works remains with the respective authors and publishers. We reproduce only titles and bibliographic data and link to the publishers' own pages. We have no control over the content of external sites and accept no liability for it.

Editorial responsibility for this page: Knut Schulz - see Imprint.