One of the most important objectives of sport coaching is the creation of a positive learning environment in which athletes can develop the technical skills required for success as individuals and as a team. Problems relating to athlete misbehaviour during practice sessions can impact upon the quality of the learning environment. The purpose of this study was to observe sport coaches to determine the effectiveness of strategies used to manage athlete behaviour. Twenty-eight youth football coaches were observed in a coaching setting to identify the behaviour management strategies used to manage their athlete’s behaviour. The findings demonstrated that coaches incorporated a limited number of behaviour management strategies. Results from observations indicated that coaches used consequent strategies to control athlete behaviour with an over-reliance on verbal, as opposed to non-verbal strategies. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that coaches utilized more intrinsic rather than extrinsic behaviour management strategies. The study suggests that coaches need to utilize a wider range of strategies to manage athlete behaviour to allow athletes opportunities to optimize their sporting potential.