LEADERSHIP AND SATISFACTION IN SOCCER: TESTING CONGRUENCE WITH STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

Abstract

Daniel Duarte, Pedro Teques e Carlos Silva

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the simultaneous relationships among preferred and perceived coaching behaviour, and their satisfaction with leadership. The study employed structural equation modeling analysis to test the congruence hypothesis derived from the Multidimensional Model of Leadership (Chelladurai, 2007), estimating mediation effects in latent variable model. The sample included 213 football players from men’s senior squads aged between 18 and 34 (M = 22.03, DP = 3.45). The results indicated that there are three particular leadership behaviours, the democratic behaviour, the autocratic behaviour, and the social support, which play a major role to determine football players’ satisfaction. In general, the results of this study seem to broaden the knowledge concerning the relationship between coach-athlete, highlighting the mediating role of perceptions related to coach behaviours.