Abstract
The objective of the present study is to analyze non-professional soccer players’ preferences regarding coach leadership style and motivational climate and to determine the relationship of these variables with players’ satisfaction, sport commitment, and sport objectives. The participants were 151 players, aged between 10 and 24 years, divided into five categories: Alevín, Infantil, Cadet, Feminine, and Juvenile, all belonging to the Aragonese Soccer Federation. The participants completed questionnaires assessing their perception of their coach’s leadership style, the team’s motivational climate, their individual satisfaction, degree of sport commitment, and sport objectives. The results show that the leadership styles of training and instruction (M = 3.98, SD = 0.43) and positive feedback (M = 4.02, SD = 0.53) are the most valued by the players in all categories. The training and instruction leadership style had the highest correlations with task-oriented motivational climate (r = 0.40). The findings of the regression analysis show that a training and instruction leadership style and a task-oriented motivational climate significantly predict players’ satisfaction (13.3%) and sport commitment (14.5%).
Highlights
A large number of children and adolescents dedicate a significant part of their time to the practice of sports activities that are carried out in teams under the direction of a coach
Concerning educational level, 56.95% of the players were studying compulsory secondary education (CSE), 21.85% were enrolled in high school, 11.92% were enrolled in primary education, 4.64% were enrolled in university studies, 2.65% were enrolled in middle-degree vocational training, 0.66% were enrolled in high-degree vocational training, and 1.32% were not currently studying
A task-oriented motivational climate was positively related to the leadership styles training and instruction behavior (r = 0.40), democratic behavior (r = 0.25), social support (r = 0.38), and positive feedback (r = 0.26), whereas autocratic behavior had a negative and significant relationship with this motivational climate (r = 0.40)
Summary
A large number of children and adolescents dedicate a significant part of their time to the practice of sports activities that are carried out in teams under the direction of a coach. Young people’s experiences, both positive and negative, with a coach’s leadership style and the team’s motivational climate can have a determining influence on their lives [1]. In recent years there has been increasingly more scientific research producing new contributions on leadership styles and motivational climate in team sports [2,3,4,5]. The coach provides athletes a direction in their sport activity, while trying to create a positive climate of getting on well. For this purpose, coaches must manage the interpersonal relationships between team members and influence the motivational aspects that affect each athlete
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
