A Qualitative Research on Professional Image of the Coaches

The purpose of the research is to reveal how the image of the profession of coaching is perceived by the members of the profession. The phenomenological pattern was preferred within the framework of the qualitative research methodology. Accordingly, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 coaches. The purposeful sampling method was used in the selection of the coaches and active service as coach at public and private sports institutions for at least 5 years was determined as a criterion. According to the interview results, the professional image perceptions of the coaches were collected under three themes. These are: Their Professional Statuses According to them, (Reputable Image, Devoted Profession, Successful Status), Organizational Appearance (Not Working Adequately, Performing Coaching by Focusing on Material Gain Outside the Scope of the Principal Duty, Not Considering Worthy) and Social Perception (Perceived to be equivalent to the Teaching of Physical Education and Sports). It was concluded from the research that the coaches had a generally positive image in terms of their profession, but sports institutions have a negative perception of image. Besides, their profession was not fully understood by the society. In this context, studies on the formation of the image of the profession of coaching by society and negative image improvement strategies of sports institutions can be carried out