Coaches attitudes about returning to play in youth and varsity sports post- COVID-19

BACKGROUND: One industry affected by the COVID-19 mandated social distancing policies is sport. In the wake of pressures to return to some normalcy, sport leagues have begun a return to play, many of which include regulations additional to the typical athlete and fan experience. Youth, Middle School, and High School sport leagues are of specific interest in America given the currently inconclusive national plan for returning to face-to-face instruction of students at schools. PURPOSE: The current goal is to identify the perceptions and experiences of current sport professionals throughout the country regarding a return to play. METHODS: The participants of this study were 181 Youth and High School Sport Coaches of various sports. The sample contained males (n = 123) and females (n = 58). The age of respondents ranged from 20 or more years of age. A return to play questionnaire was created and used to collect data for this study. The survey consisted of 12 yes or no questions regarding a return to play during the pandemic, with an opportunity for an open-ended explanation for each. Statistical methods employed to conduct data analysis included frequencies to determine percentages. A crosstabs analysis and Pearson Chi-Square tests of association were utilized to identify statistical significance within the variables. FINDING: No statistically significant association was found at the p ≤ .05 level between age or years of coaching experience and any response to a yes/no question. Percentages for high school coaches who responded "Yes" to each question are presented. Due to the wide variety of responses in these open-ended explanations, statistical expressions were not conducted, and an inclusive list of explanations for each question is provided. CONCLUSION: While the research result is unclear, the information obtained from coaches in the current study presents a small illustration of the current perceptions of athletic leaders in this region regarding the return to play of youth sport coaches and their respective schools' policies.