ROLE PLAYED BY THE COACH IN THE ADOLESCENT PLAYERS’ COMMITMENT

This study was designed to examine the role played by the coach in competitive sports by analysing the motivational climate created in the team and its relationship with player commitment. Spanish versions of the questionnaires MCSYS (Motivational Climate Scale for Youth Sport; Smith, Cumming, & Smoll, 2008) and SCQe (Sport Commitment Questionnaire; Scalan, Simons, Carpenter, Schmidt, & Keeler, 1993) were administered to 929 male competitive soccer players, mean age of 12.2 years. According to the MCSYS scores, the players’ perceived motivational climate was classified as four profiles defined by combinations of low or high mastery/ego (low/low, high/low, low/high and high/high). The results obtained indicate a relationship between perceived motivational climate and commitment to the game. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed in the light of the motivational climate generated by the coach in the sport context.