Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014) and an outstanding 66% of the work of Loughborough’s academic staff who were eligible to be submitted to the REF was judged as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, compared to a national average figure of 43%. In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career. Additional systematic research is needed in understanding the links between coach leadership and coach-athlete relationship. This research has theoretical, empirical, and practical significance. It is still unclear: (a) how and why athletes perform at various levels of performance for different coaches, or how and why coaches’ behaviours produce superior athletic performance, and (b) what are the specific actions or behaviours of coaches that nurture a positive and trusting relationship with their athletes, or what do coaches do to facilitate good quality relationships with each athlete? The answers to these questions are important because they can unveil the processes between coach behaviours and athlete outcomes (e.g., performance, satisfaction, motivation, confidence), and provide an explanation about the ways in which coaches establish and develop varied relationship qualities with different athletes. The proposed research will aim to bring together leadership and relationship literatures in an endeavour to generate theoretically-driven and empirically-based knowledge and understanding that will, in turn, help provide rigorous and comprehensive guidelines for effective coaching practice.