Young Norwegian Football Players’ Cross-Sectional Experiences of Coach Recognition: A Quantitative Survey Study Related to the Pedagogical Approach of Being Seen

The experience of being acknowledged by one’s coach has been highlighted as important, but the pedagogical approach of being seen has not been empirically explored within sport. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which young Norwegian football players experienced being seen by their head coach in football, as well as to examine gender differences in these experiences with a previous validated questionnaire, originally developed for students within physical education, but adapted for football. Using a list of all teams participating in the Boys 19 league and the Girls 17 league in Trøndelag County, 7 boys’ teams and 9 girls’ teams were randomly selected. A total of 212 players (107 boys and 105 girls) responded to the questionnaire. Participants’ ages ranged from 15 to 19 years. The results showed that 83 percent of the boys and 87 percent of the girls agreed (slightly to strongly) that they experienced being seen by their head coach during training or football matches. There were no significant gender differences regarding this experience, nor in four of the five underlying factors contributing to being seen. However, a significant gender difference was found according to good dialogue, where girls scored higher than boys when rating their coaches. Finally, the results indicated that players perceived their coach as most competent in facilitating good dialogue, and least competent in involving players in assessment and goal setting, and in creating opportunities for players to showcase themselves. Based on these results, coaches should actively create opportunities for dialogue before, during, and after training or matches, signaling openness through body language, tone, and availability so players feel comfortable initiating conversation. Coach education programs should emphasize communication strategies that promote psychological safety and belonging, including practical steps such as brief one-on-one conversations during warm-up or cool-down to help players feel seen without disrupting team flow. The gender difference in good dialogue highlights the importance of tailoring communication strategies to individual needs while ensuring that dialogue opportunities are accessible to all players.