Effective leadership is recognised as an important determinant of team performance, yet little research explores athlete leadership development within professional rather than educational (e.g. high school or university) sports team environments. This study sought to address this gap by exploring athlete perceptions of the development opportunities afforded them for ALG roles within a professional football club youth academy.

ีUFABET กับเรื่องราวความสำเร็จของเหล่านักพนัน age group-specific semi-structured focus groups were conducted to obtain insight into participant’s perceptions of leadership development as a professional youth football player. Participants were able to freely discuss their views, opinions and experiences of both on- and off-field leadership in the context of their ALG roles. Focus group interviews are considered the preferred method for this type of research as they facilitate in-depth discussion and the elicitation of rich data that is grounded in the participant’s experiences and beliefs (Carey, 1994).

Leading the Charge: The Crucial Role of Leadership Development in Football

Participants were asked to share their understanding of leadership by answering a series of questions relating to on-pitch and off-pitch leadership behaviours. On-pitch leader behaviors deemed to be most important were perceived to be the ability to motivate and encourage teammates as well as maintaining positive and focused coaching on the pitch. In contrast, off-pitch leaders regarded as most important were the ability to be a good communicator and to build trust with others.

In addition to on- and off-pitch leader behaviors, coach’s perceived that the most effective way to develop ALGs was by providing them with opportunities for leadership responsibilities in the context of their everyday team functions. For example, by allowing them to lead warm-ups and half time talks and allowing them to rotate these responsibilities so that all members of the squad can gain experience in this role.