Examining coach psychophysiological stress responses during Association Football matches: A preliminary study

The aim of this preliminary study was to examine the psychophysiological stress responses of football coaches during competition and in response to ‘in-game’ critical incidents. Participants were 10 male football coaches (mean = 35.3 ± 8.14 age), five professional and five volunteer coaches. Psychophysiological stress responses, characterised by heart rate, respiratory rate, and salivary alpha amylase activity, were collected at non-competition and across two competitions for all coaches. Individual generalized estimating equations were conducted to model the extent to which psychophysiological indices of stress interacted with time (non-competition, pre-game, in-game) and expertise (professionals, volunteers). Results indicated that both heart rate and salivary alpha amylase activity, but not respiratory rate, were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in competition compared to non-competition. Volunteer coaches also had significantly higher (p < 0.05) levels of salivary alpha amylase activity than their professional counterparts. For the second part of the study examining critical incidents, paired samples t-tests revealed no significant difference for psychophysiological stress responses following a critical incident. The results suggest that coaching practice may evoke a modest psychophysiological stress response with volunteer coaches displaying a higher stress response compared to professional coaches. Applied implications and future recommendations are offered.