The Relationship between Perceived Coach Behaviour and Perceived Social Loafing in Youth Football

Perceived social loafing (PSL) in sports teams reflects the perception that one or more members of the team are contributing less than they could and it is theoretically plausible that perceived coach behaviours may influence athlete perceptions of social loafing. The aim of the study therefore, was to investigate the relationship between perceived coach leadership behaviours and PSL in youth football teams. The Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS, Chelladurai & Selah, 1980) and PSL Scale (Høigaard, 2006) were completed by 59 players from five elite youth teams (mean age 16.9±1.0yrs; mean time with team 1.3±1.0yrs). Perceived positive feedback may be acting as an indication to the athletes that the coach has evaluated their individual effort and performance thus reducing PSL. It is important for athletes to engage fully in the democratic process that has been shown to maximize team performance. It is essential, however, that players are made aware that in a democratic environment the usually more assertive players must become less dominant, and that this reduced participation is not social loafing but a necessary adaptation to facilitate the democratic process.