Mentor functions in NCAA women's soccer coaching dyads

Purpose – Team performance in sport is not limited to the players, but extends to the coaching staff and their relationships. This study aims to identify mentoring functions reported by NCAA Division I assistant women's soccer coaches within a head coach‐assistant coach dyad and examine gender impact on these functions.Design/methodology/approach – The Mentor Role Instrument questionnaire, completed by 39.7 percent of applicable assistant coaches, determined the mentor functions present. Means for the 11 mentor functions were ranked and compared via ANOVA.Findings – Post hoc testing showed the parent mentor function at the lowest level with the social function second lowest. The mentor functions of acceptance, friendship, sponsor, and challenging assignments ranked as the statistically highest group of factors. Assistant coach gender significantly impacted the mentor function of social, with male assistant coaches higher than females. Gender of the head coach significantly impacted the mentor function of ...