Abstract
This study aims to deepen our understanding of the relevant research on coach–athlete relationship theory, moral leadership, and team effectiveness theory, and thus explore how to maximize team performance. As such, this study adopts an input-process-output model to explore the effect of coach–athlete relationships on team effectiveness in youth football teams. Participants in this anonymous survey included 312 young athletes, aged 13–19, from professional football schools who filled in questionnaires to provide data on the coach’s moral leadership, team effectiveness, coach–athlete relationships, and trust in the coach. The results indicate that coach–athlete relationships have a significant predictive effect on the moral leadership of coaches, which in turn, has a significant positive correlation with athletes’ trust in coaches; however, coach–athlete relationships have no direct positive correlation with team effectiveness. The coaches’ moral leadership and athletes’ trust in coaches have a chain mediation effect in the impact of coach–athlete relationships on team effectiveness. This study validates the assertion that coach–athlete relationships have a substantial effect on coach leadership. It also refines the coach–athlete relationship theory, provides evidence on the dynamic mechanism in which coach–athlete relationships affect team effectiveness, and enriches team effectiveness theory.
Highlights
Extensive studies on sports psychology and management have considered coach leadership, coach–athlete relationships, trust, and team effectiveness as key research indicators (Cushion, 2007; Jowett, 2007; Mohammed and Hamilton, 2007; Landy and Conte, 2016)
The moral and cultural background of the Chinese organizational environment has Chinese characteristics; when measuring moral leadership based on Dynamic Mechanism in Youth Football the Chinese organizational environment, which is rich in cultural connotations, it is more appropriate to apply localized scales (Sun, 2008)
This study explores the dynamic relationship among moral leadership, coach–athlete relationships, trust, and team effectiveness in Chinese youth football teams based on the input-process-output model
Summary
Extensive studies on sports psychology and management have considered coach leadership, coach–athlete relationships, trust, and team effectiveness as key research indicators (Cushion, 2007; Jowett, 2007; Mohammed and Hamilton, 2007; Landy and Conte, 2016). These studies define sports leadership as a complex social process involving a series of interacting elements (Cushion, 2007). This relationship comprises (1) a sense of intimacy, that is, a positive relationship is established between the coach and the athlete, and the connection is reflected in their mutual trust and respect, emotional care and support, and the love and appreciation in their relationships; (2) commitment refers to the cognitive bond between coaches and athletes, and it is expressed in their willingness to maintain close, long-term connections; and (3) complementarity refers to the behavioral connection between coaches and athletes, and it is manifested in the degree of collaboration and cooperation between leaders and followers (Jowett, 2007)
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