The relationship between coaches and athletes is considered to be the most important interpersonal relationship in the field of sport. We chose this particular phenomenon because in Croatia and abroad there is only a small number of qualitative studies of the phenomenon. The main purpose of the study is to provide insight into the team sport athletes' and coaches' attitudes and perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship – its nature, development, maintenance strategies and positive and negative factors that affect it. During the sampling of the participants we used a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. We interviewed a total of 20 male participants (seven coaches, one sport instructor and twelve athletes) who were actively involved in one of the five team sports: basketball, volleyball, football, handball and beach handball. During the interviews we used two modified versions of the coach and athlete guide. The guides are based on the semi-structured interview guide by Rhind and Jowett which we combined with other questions of importance according to the research of the relevant literature. We carried out two separate analyses. Based on the qualitative analysis of the coaches' responses we identified six broader categories entitled: Coach’s role goes beyond the field, The coach is the boss, Satisfaction is built through mutual dedication to work, Dissatisfaction involves three people, Good communication is the foundation of a successful relationship and There is a million ways to resolve conflicts. In accordance with the qualitative analysis of the athletes’ responses we also identified six broader categories entitled: The coach has multiple 3 roles, There is a chain of command, Mutual dedication as a basis of relationship satisfaction, Dissatisfaction with the relationship is contagious, All the work is useless without good communication and The coach as lord and master