Is one goal enough? Male strikers' views on their post-goal motivation level

Abstract

The current study aimed to reveal the opinions influencing the post-goal motivation levels of male strikers who have played in various football clubs in the Turkish Professional Football League. Among the basic qualitative research designs, one of the qualitative research methodologies was employed to conduct this study. The study group consisted of 10 Turkish Professional Football League footballers who were playing professional football for many years. The study data were collected by a semi-structured interview form and analyzed by content analysis. The findings of the data analyzed are described in the discussion and conclusion sections. It is concluded that when the strikers scored the game’s first goal, they used it wisely, conforming to the game strategy, without losing their desire and motivation to score new goals. It is generally believed, that physical, technical and tactical training of the strikers during the annual training schedule improves their mental toughness and effectiveness in maintaining self-motivation. Hence, it would be important for the Turkish Football Federation to engage in a long-term collaboration process with sports psychologists, football coaches and professional club managers to ensure the sustainability of the male strikers’ motivation.