Since the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11th 2020 by the WHO, societies and people around the globe have experienced major disruptions to ordinary life. Extensive impact on the sporting society by the pandemic and its implications has been noted in a rapidly growing number of research studies. However, few studies to this date have investigated the impact of the pandemic on elite sport coaches. This qualitative study investigated how elite team sports coaches perceive their psychosocial work environment (PWE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what aspects in their PWE can be considered risk or protective factors for their health. Twelve head coaches, coaching elite teams in first and second national division (eight men`s and four women`s) in four major team sports (i.e., ice hockey, football, floorball, basketball) in Sweden, completed a survey consisting of four open-ended questions using the data collection method of prompting written statements. The results from qualitative content analysis suggest that elite team sports coaches have experienced increased demands to perform organizational tasks, whilst maintaining competitive performance levels with players that are also experiencing additional challenges. Coaches' answers indicate they have experienced varying, and generally decreasing, degrees of organizational and social resources to manage the demands induced by the pandemic. Increased demands combined with decreased resources can elevate coaches` risk for negative health outcomes. The current study highlights the importance of organizational support in order to promote coaches` well-being during extensive disruptions associated with the ongoing pandemic.
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