Coaching beyond the game: a qualitative study of volunteer coaches in European grassroots esports

Introduction Grassroots esports is increasingly organised through sports clubs and community-based initiatives for children and young people, yet little is known about how volunteer coaches understand and describe their roles in these settings. Existing esports coaching research has primarily focused on performance-oriented contexts, leaving limited insight into how coaches make sense of grassroots settings where participation, inclusion, social development, and safe digital cultures may be as important as technical skill development. This qualitative study explored how volunteer grassroots esports coaches in Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands understood and described their coaching roles. Methods Seventeen coaches participated in semi-structured online interviews conducted between March and May 2026. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results The analysis generated three themes. First, coaches primarily understood their role as youth-oriented social facilitators rather than game-specific technical instructors, emphasising adult presence, safe participation, positive behaviour, and inclusive environments. Second, coaches described how limited equipment, volunteer availability, access to formal coach education, and practical coaching resources constrained their ability to provide structured and meaningful activities. Third, health and lifestyle guidance occupied a marginal and weakly systematised position in everyday coaching practice. While energy drinks were commonly managed through clear rules, broader topics such as sleep, nutrition, physical activity, and recovery were often perceived as outside the scope of the coaching role or difficult to address with players. Discussion Overall, the findings suggest that grassroots esports coaching is best understood as a hybrid practice situated between sport coaching, youth work, digital culture, and community volunteering. Strengthening grassroots esports coaching may benefit from accessible coach education, practical session resources, peer-learning arenas, and clear guidance on inclusion, online communication, player behaviour, and health-related boundaries, rather than simply transferring elite esports coaching models to grassroots settings.