This systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines with searches conducted on 28 July 2025 across Embase, ERIC, LILACS, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science, examined mediating factors influencing football coaches’ behaviour. Of 1875 initial publications, 29 met inclusion criteria, requiring systematic observation of coaches’ behaviour during training or competition; 27 studies showed excellent methodological quality. Results were grouped into three topics: Training and Competition (n=15), Players’ characteristics (n=6), and Coaches’ characteristics (n=8). Coaches predominantly used instruction during both training and competition, adjusting behaviour according to athletes’ age and competitive level. Coaches holding university degrees or federative certifications tended to give more instruction, positive feedback, and questions, while less experienced coaches showed more negative behaviour. The use of varied observation instruments limited comparability across studies, and small coach samples restrict generalisability. These findings underscore the need to adapt coach behaviour to specific coaching contexts, accounting for both player and coach characteristics.
Gonet et al. (Wed,) studied this question.