Talent development and (dis)empowering coach-created motivational climates among South African youth football players

Abstract

The environments in which coaches help create have a significant influence on the development of talented players. Therefore, this study investigated perceptions of talent development environments (TDEs) and coach-created motivational climates among South African youth football players. A total of 112 male amateur players (Mage = 16.2 ± 1.1 years; Mplaying experience = 8.6 ± 2.1 years) voluntarily completed the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire-5 and the Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climates Questionnaire. The results showed that empowerment in coach-created motivational climates correlated strongly with three TDE dimensions: communication (r = .65, p < .01), long-term development (r = .61, p < .01) and alignment of expectations (r = .56, p < .01). There was also a strong relationship between disempowerment in coach-created motivational climates and the holistic quality dimension of TDE (r = .67, p < .01). Through multiple linear regression, long-term development (β = .37, p < .01) and communication (β = .41, p < .01) were found to be significant predictors of empowerment in coach-created motivational climates. Furthermore, holistic quality (β = .64, p < .01) and alignment of expectations (β = .22, p < .05) were found to be significant predictors of disempowerment in coach-created motivational climates. These results suggest that coaches should emphasise an atmosphere that supports learning and development pathways to create an environment with long-term goals that are clear, consistent, and coherent.