Blurred lines: Navigating work, home, and non-work in the lives of professional football coaches

Alongside job insecurity, transient positions, and fluctuating contracts, coaches face relentless pressure to succeed, often in environments where the average tenure of a top-tier head coach is 1.3 years (UEFA, 2024). Such pressures have been reflected in the recent portrayals of coaching as a precarious activity. However, an aspect of precarity that has yet to be explored relates to how coaches construct their relationship between work, professional life, and personal life. To address this problem, the following study sought to explore professional football coaches’ perspectives on negotiating the boundaries between home, work, and non-work in their daily lives. Drawing on repeated in-depth qualitative interviews, combined with personal audio diaries, the research explored the everyday professional and personal experiences of seven professional football coaches working within the United Kingdom. The findings include two key themes: Justification Work and Boundary Work. Taken together, the themes illuminate the intricate interplay between the cultural expectations of coaching as a demanding job, and the personal sacrifices coaches make to sustain their careers. Against the backdrop of justifying their influence and recognition, the findings revealed how justifications are deeply intertwined with coaches’ perceptions of their professional identity and worth. The consequence reflects broader cultural narratives that normalise coaching sacrifices as unavoidable. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the cultural and structural challenges shaping professional football coaching. The findings emphasise the need to challenge entrenched cultural norms and develop more sustainable practices to support the individuals navigating this demanding profession.