The Effect of Perceived Managerial Support of Coaches’ Organizational Commitment in Professional Football

Abstract

The present study utilized the concept of commitment to explain the impact of managerial support on elite coaches’ behaviour in professional football. Specifically, we aimed to examine the level of organizational commitment and managerial support according to the coaching level as well as the league categories of those elite football coaches. Furthermore, we hypothesized that managerial support would predict organizational commitment in elite football. Our sample comprised 300 football coaches drawn from the professional league categories. They completed the organizational commitment scale developed by Allen and Meyer (1990; 1991) and the perceived managerial support questionnaire developed by Giray and Sahin (2012) followed by the inform consent in addition to the information sheet. Results of the present study revealed a significant difference between the level of elite coaches’ organizational commitment and the perceived managerial support especially in terms of their coaching level and the league category. More interestingly, the results from the current study provide the evidence that managerial support predicts elite coaches’ organizational support in professional football. The significance of this research rests in the insight provided into the managerial support that how coaches’ organizational commitment effects and therefore their behaviour through the commitment to the club. We discuss the results in the context of specific dimensions in organizational behaviour in a coaching environment.