Mentor functions in NCAA women’s soccer coaching dyads Eileen M. Narcotta University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA Jeffrey C. Petersen Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA, and Scott R. Johnson Army Center for Enhanced Performance, Fort Sam, Houston, Texas, USA Abstract 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 parent with assistant coaches having male head coaches reporting greater parent functions. Gender also impacted the social mentor function in the head coach/ assistant coach dyad with male-male dyads significantly greater than the male-female dyads. Research limitations/implications – The current research is limited by its narrow scope. Future research should consider mentor effects on job satisfaction and occupational turnover intent, expansion to other levels of women’s soccer, and expansion into men’s sports for further analysis of mentoring in coaching. Originality/value – As the first study to document mentor functions in coaching these results provide baseline data to guide future research and support the development of mentoring programs in coaching. Keywords Mentoring, Coaching, Sports, Gender, Football Paper type Research paper When one considers the concept of team work in the context of intercollegiate soccer, one might initially tend to consider the complex functioning of the 11 players on the field integrating their plans and actions in a unified manner in pursuit of victory. However, these soccer players are highly influenced by their head coach as well as the entire coaching staff for the team. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Women’s soccer is a highly complex and competitive environment, and typically requires a number of coaches to facilitate the successful performance of the team. The team dynamics of the players may be vital to success, but so is the team dynamics within the coaching staff. The relationship between the head coach and the assistant coach in a mentor-prote ´ge ´ coupling is an important factor worthy of study as The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1352-7592.htm TPM 15,3/4 100 Team Performance Management Vol. 15 No. 3/4, 2009 pp. 100-116 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1352-7592 DOI 10.1108/13527590910964892