Ishockeycoacher en studie om rekrytering, arbete och ledarstil

Sammanfattning: The overarching purpose of this study was to describe and to understand what it means to become and be a coach in ice hockey. The following areas were considered: how Swedish ice hockey has been developed, the recruiting of ice hockey coaches, the work of a coach, how the actors view the development of ice hockey and how the club directors, players, and the coaches believe a good coach should act. A fundamental theoretical point of departure for this work is Kalevi Heinilä's totalization theory. The recruiting of coaches is understood with the aid of Schelin's views on early involvement and socialization in sports and Patriksson's model of socialization. The coaches' activities and the forces that affect the coach will be described according to Chelladurais' multidimensional model of leadership. The empirical material comprises questionnaires to coaches and chairpersons from 205 clubs, interviews conducted with twenty ice hockey coaches and twenty ice hockey players and a literature study to describe the development of Swedish ice hockey. The results showed the there has been a striking increase in the number of matches and that there is a conflict between the sports and marketing aspects. This situation places demands on the actors to win but also play in an entertaining manner. Economic aspects control the development of sports to an ever greater extent but also offers an opportunity for a professional career for both players and coaches. The process of desocialization does not always mean a definite departure from sports but it can instead mean the beginning of a new career. Most of the coaches are former players. They continue in the same sport but in a new role. The coach is responsible for all the activities with the team and bear the responsibility for the team's results. The pressure to succeed make the teams try to find an effective way to play: ice hockey today is more tactically governed and defensive. There seems to be a Swedish model for the routines associated with a match. The whole course of events is very formalized and this study shows an almost ritualistic behavior of coaches. Players and coaches believe that the coach should be authoritarian in the match situation. The whole culture of ice hockey seems to expect it. It is believed that one must be of a certain kind to be accepted by the culture of ice hockey: the Ice Hockey Association, clubs, players, mass media, and spectators. In any case it is simpler not to deviate.