Leadership Style, Coaching Behaviors, and Team Cohesion Through the Perspectives of Head Collegiate Soccer Coache

Soccer is the world's most popular sport and has become increasingly popular at the intercollegiate level. Due to soccer's popularity, there has been increasing emphasis placed on team success. Numerous research studies have examined factors that contribute to team success, and team cohesion has consistently been cited as a major factor. Another factor is the effectiveness of the coach; the coach of a particular team is closely observed and analyzed by his methods, approach, and win-loss record. However, the understanding of how a coach is effective continues to be under-researched. The current study was designed to explore and understand how these coaches perceive their predominant leadership style and how it influences their coaching behaviors and team cohesion. Eight NCAA Division III head collegiate soccer coaches were interviewed using a basic qualitative approach revolving around three central questions: (a) What do coaches perceive to be their predominant leadership style?; (b) How does the perceived predominant leadership style of a coach influence specific coaching behaviors?; (c) How do the perceived predominant leadership style of a coach impact the specific behaviors used to develop team cohesion?;Findings demonstrated the emergence of three categorical themes: leadership style, the relationship between leadership style and coaching behaviors, and the relationship between leadership style and team cohesion. These categories were further explained through themes and represented by participant quotes. These results indicate that there is a need to understand the process by which successful head coaches develop their leadership style in order to inform coaching education curriculum.