Only a small number of studies dealing with burnout among coaches have been published, and none of these have dealt with burnout among elite soccer coaches in a European context. This thesis – investigating both the burnout and recovery process – includes a longitudinal design spanning ten years. Out of 53 head coaches, from elite soccer teams in Sweden, 47 participated in study 1. Results showed that burnout scores assessed by Maslachs Burnout Inventory (MBI) were generally low, but coaches in women’s premier league showed significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion than coaches in men’s soccer teams. A sub-sample of these 47 coaches was interviewed for study 2, namely those 8 reporting the highest MBI scores. Characteristics of the elite coach professions personality traits and the allover life situation of the coach were identified as risk factors for developing burnout, as well as some retention factors, risking to create detention effects which might worsen the stress levels of the coach. In study 3 and 4, the burnout and recovery processes were examined, respectively. On the basis of descriptions from the coaches, three separate phases are discerned from the burnout process: a phase of restlessness and annoyance, a fatigue phase and finally a phase of exhaustion and burnout, while it is possible to make out four phases in the recovery process: a wake-up process, a phase removing one-self, a phase of reflection and evaluation, and finally a phase of new-orienting one-self. Study 5 revealed that both energy cost reducing strategies and energy boosting activities, were used by the coaches to prevent burnout. Study 6 showed that lack of sufficient recovery periods inhibited a lowering of the burnout levels, but also that lack of adequate coping strategies slowed the recovery process and also that coaches who have experienced burnout have an impaired professional efficiency. Finally, the focus in study 7 was on longterm consequences of burning out. Increased fatigue, diseases, cognitive impairment and a lower stress tolerance were examples of negative consequences, whereas an improved ability to identify stress causes and an enhanced awareness about one’s stress reactions, as well as to reflect and prioritize health, were examples of positive and favourable consequences. It is also urgent that elite clubs strive to create a good psycho-social work environment, which will function as a buffer against stress.

Elite coaches consider aspects of sports science when preparing athletes for competition. Sports scientists conduct applied research and a fundamental purpose of sports science research is to produce knowledge that helps improve the performance of elite athletes. In view of the considerable resources being directed toward research and coaching at the elite level, there is a need to conduct research to identify the relationship between research and coaching practice at the elite level. Australia has an institute of sport or academy of sport in each state and territory dedicated to the development of team and individual sports, both Olympic and non- Olympic. In the area of elite athlete performance, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has gained an international reputation for excellence, and the AIS Research Centre has achieved international recognition for the quality of research projects directed toward the performance of elite athletes. Sports scientists at Australian universities also undertake research related to elite coaching, some of which has occurred in partnership with researchers at Australian institutes of sport. The purpose of the study was to identify the relationship between sports science research at Australian institutes of sport and post-graduate sports science research in Australian universities, and how elite coaches in Australia perceive sports science research practice meeting the needs of elite coaching. A case study method was selected for this thesis, which involved the following data gathering instruments: a survey of 225 elite coaches and 125 sports science researchers, follow-up interviews of elite coaches and sports science researchers, and document analysis of 725 research projects conducted at Australian institutes of sport and postgraduate theses at Master and Doctoral level at Australian universities. An analysis was also conducted to assess the sports science content contained in the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme's Level Three course material. A schedule was developed for the document analysis called the "Williams Sports Science Research Schedule". Interviews were conducted with elite key informants to validate a model that was developed fiom the study. Results of the study revealed a degree of congruence between the perceptions of elite coaches and sports science researchers regarding the research needs of elite coaches and the research activity of sports science researchers. A model, called the "Elite Sports Research Model" was developed to describe that relationship. The Elite Sports Research Model contains four components, namely: coach knowledge, information seeking/dissemination strategies, qualities valued in an elite coach and a sports science researcher, and application of research. Within the model, particular perspectives of elite coaches and particular perspectives of sports science researchers were identified. Some differences were found between elite coaches of team sports and elite coaches of individual sports, as well as some differences between researchers at institutes of sports and researchers at universities. At the elite level in Australia a relationship was found between sports science research activity and the research needs of elite coaches. With the increase in support for elite coaching and sports science research in Australia and internationally, the results of this study should help to inform improvement in sports science research programs that support elite coaching practice.

Syfte och frågeställningar Studien syfte var att undersöka kunskapen om RED-S bland tränare inom svensk truppgymnastik och få en översikt om tränarna kände till Svenska Gymnastikförbundets eller Internationella Olympiska Kommitténs åtgärdsplan för identifiering, behandling och återgång till idrottande. Detta undersöktes med följande frågeställningar: 1) ”Hur mycket kunskap om RED-S har dagens tränare inom truppgymnastik?” 2) ”Skiljer tränares kunskaper åt beroende på kön, division och erfarenhet i år?” och 3) ”Har tränarnas förening en åtgärdsplan för RED-S?”. Metod En digital enkät baserad på liknande studier och IOC’s rekommendationer, skickades ut till både en sluten Facebookgrupp och via mail till föreningar på subelitnivå. Enkäten bestod av 28 frågor där de första åtta frågorna riktade sig mot tränarnas karaktärsdrag och de följande tjugo frågorna riktade sig mot kunskaper kring RED-S enligt IOC’s rekommendationer. All data analyserades i Google Excel och via SPSS. För att avgöra kunskapsnivån bland tränarna skapades ett poängsystem för frågorna om RED-S medan en icke parametriskt T-test genomfördes för att upptäcka eventuella kunskapsskillnader mellan gruppfördelningarna kön, division och erfarenhet. Resultat Inga tränare följde en åtgärdsplan för RED-S och ingen kände till Gymnastikförbundets eller IOC’s åtgärdsplan för RED-S. Det fanns inga kunskapsskillnader mellan gruppfördelningarna och utifrån resultaten är tränarnas kunskaper högre i frågor om återgång och behandling, men lägre i frågor om identifiering och grundläggande kunskaper. Av 35 deltagande var det endast 20% som tidigare hört talas om RED-S. Slutsats Denna studie upptäckte att det fanns kunskaper om RED-S men inte tillräckligt för att tränare skulle kunna hjälpa gymnaster som är utsatta eller löper risk för RED-S. Däremot var intresset att lära sig mer om ämnet högt bland deltagarna. På grund av bristande deltagande är studien inte representativ för svenska trupptränare på subelitnivå och kräver fler studier för att fastställa resultaten. / Aim The aim of the study was to investigate how much knowledge Swedish teamgym coaches have about the syndrome called RED-S. The study was also used to gather an overview of how many teamgym coaches that follow the action plan made to identify, treat and return to play, by either the Swedish gymnastics association or the International Olympic Committee. To reach the aim, three questions of the issue were made: 1) ”How much knowledge does teamgym coaches have about RED-S?” 2) ”Is there any difference between the coaches knowledge based on their gender, division or experience?” och 3) ”Does the coaches union have an action plan for RED-S?”. Method A digital survey based on similar studies and the recommendations by IOC, was shared on a private Facebook platform and also by email to unions competing in the sub-elite series. The survey included 28 questions where the first eight focused on the characteristics of the coach, while the next twenty questions were related to RED-S based on the recommendations from IOC. All data was analysed with Google Excel and run by SPSS. A point-system was created to determine the coaches knowledge of RED-S, while a non-parametric T-test was used to discover any differences between the coaches based on their characteristics; gender, division and experience. Result No coaches followed an action plan or were acknowledged about the action plan made by either the Swedish gymnastics association or IOC. There were no differences in knowledge based on the coaches characteristics and according to the results, the coaches had a higher knowledge with questions related to return to play and treatment, but lower in questions related to identification and basic information. Only 20% of the participants had ever heard of the syndrom RED-S before. Conclusion This study discovered that the coaches have some knowledge of RED-S, but not enough to be able to help gymnasts that have or are at risk to develop RED-S. There was a high interest among the coaches to learn more of the subject, but because of few participants these results won’t be able to represent Swedish teamgym coaches in the sub-elite. More studies needs to determine the results.