Understanding the use of formal Athlete Leadership Groups in professional football teams: Insights from coaches and athlete leaders.

Abstract

Athlete Leadership Groups (ALGs) represent a shared athlete leadership model whereby a small group (typically 3-8) of players are selected as athlete leaders and appointed to a formal ‘leadership group’ (i.e., an ALG) that shares team leadership responsibilities with the coach. Coaches of professional sports teams frequently adopt ALGs in their quest to gain a competitive advantage and the model is widely used in professional football teams (in the context of this study professional football refers to Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer and Australian Rules Football) in Australia and New Zealand, where ALGs play a central role in team management. Despite the widespread use of ALGs, knowledge and understanding of this particular formalised shared athlete leadership is limited. This thesis seeks to identify and understand, from the perspective of professional coaches and athlete leaders, the behaviours, attitudes, interactions, and interdependencies which shape the way athlete leadership groups function in professional sport. The thesis consists of three sequential qualitative studies examining the use of ALGs in top-tier Australian and New Zealand professional football teams. The findings illustrate that ALGs offer multi-level (i.e., athlete leader, team members, coach) psychological needs satisfaction, and when the operationalisation is player-driven, coach supported, and underpinned by a shared team identity, this leadership approach can help to shape the motivational climate of a professional football team in a way that promotes performance excellence. In addition to providing robust evidence upon which professional teams can base future decisions for the design, and operationalisation of their ALGs programs, it is hoped the results will provide a platform for further research on this novel shared approach to team sport leadership.