NCAA Division I Female Head Coaches’ Experiences of Exemplary Care Within Coaching

In this paper, the experiences of 12 NCAA Division I female head coaches exemplifying care in their coaching are described. After a brief review of literature and terms, coaches’ own words from interview transcripts are used to illustrate four major themes: (a) team as “family”; (b) holistic care of student-athletes; (c) development of the “self-as-coach”; and (d) institutional care. We conclude by addressing why we believe that care is a coach education issue and why coaches should engage with the ongoing development of exemplary care.