ESSERE ALLENATORE DI CALCIO OGGI - RUOLO, COMPETENZE E DISPOSITIVI FORMATIVI

The continuous changes in the world of football have contributed to making the figure of the coach increasingly complex and multidimensional, requiring constant adaptation of skills. The research project fits into this framework, adopting a constructivist perspective in order to explore the identity and role of the football coach, observing the growing importance of the relational dynamics of the role and the need to adapt to a rapidly changing complex reality (Maulini et al., 2021; Ryba et al., 2022). Through a review of the literature, historical and contemporary changes in the perception of this figure have been analyzed, with particular attention to the necessary skills, which are now increasingly broad and articulated (Amicucci, 2017; Maggi, 2016; Otte et al., 2024). The research, based on a qualitative methodology, included semi-structured interviews submitted to a sample of 14 coaches, with integrated workshops aimed at representing the self and the skills perceived as crucial, reflecting on the coach's learning methodologies and the effectiveness of training devices. The analysis of the data, conducted through the Template Analysis method (King & Brooks, 2017, in King, Brooks & Tabari, 2018), revealed the difficulty of defining the role of the coach in a unique way. The second phase concerns the activation of the Action Research process. A team of experts re-read the results to start a discussion on the role of the coach, investigating perceptions and needs of the role and identifying four essential skills: collaboration, communication, decision-making ability and management of complexity. From the comparison, a training device was subsequently designed structured in five modules based on a constructivist approach that alternates theory and practice, promoting awareness of the role, skills and training methodologies. The ultimate goal of this research work was to apply the training device to a group of 8 football coaches, who participated in the 5 theoretical-practical training modules lasting 4 hours each. The subsequent evaluation of effectiveness through a Mixed-Methods of quantitative and qualitative methods recognized a growth on four fundamental dimensions: role responsibility, complexity management, need for continuous training and reflection on practices. The overall aim is to promote professional and personal growth of coaches, making their practices more aware and effective, without introducing tools extraneous to the sporting context. The project emphasizes the importance of building relationships of trust with athletes, consolidating an approach that integrates technique and relationships for an overall improvement of the coach's training function.