Toward value co-creation in private youth sport for ‘secondary’ consumers: expert coaches’ perceptions of parent–coach collaboration

Research question
Recent evidence suggests parents and coaches would find value in a collaborative relationship. However, the specific roles of parents and coaches in co-creating value remain unclear. Therefore, this research aims to establish expert coaches’ perception of effective collaboration between parents and coaches in the market-driven private youth sport setting.

Research methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 expert coaches to examine their perceptions of effective parent–coach collaboration.

Results and findings
Through a reflexive thematic analysis, the authors identified four themes explaining expert coaches’ perceptions of parent–coach collaboration in market-driven youth sport experiences. The themes include: (1) balancing individual circumstance and private sport system demands; (2) collaboratively developing programming; (3) establishing flexible relationship parameters and (4) navigating involvement boundaries.

Implications
These themes were used to create a practical guide for coaches in navigating relationships with ‘secondary’ consumers of youth sport (i.e. parents). Moreover, a theoretical conceptualization of value co-creation for ‘secondary’ consumers of youth sport is offered.