Coach Leadership Style, Team Cohesion, and Competitive Performance in University Team Sports
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Abstract
Coach leadership style strongly influences university team sports because it shapes how athletes understand their roles, communicate under pressure, and remain committed to collective goals. This study examined the relationships among perceived coach leadership style, team cohesion, and competitive performance in university team-sport athletes. We used a cross-sectional field design with 264 athletes from 22 university teams, including 132 men and 132 women. Athletes completed leadership and cohesion questionnaires based on established sport psychology frameworks, and competitive performance was represented by a composite score derived from season outcomes, match consistency, and coach-rated performance. We used one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlations, multiple regression, and mediation analysis, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Athletes reporting a supportive-transformational leadership profile showed higher task cohesion than those reporting a directive/low-support profile (7.11 +/- 0.96 vs. 5.61 +/- 0.95, p < 0.001) and a higher competitive performance composite (65.99 +/- 7.90 vs. 61.64 +/- 8.10, p = 0.001). Positive leadership correlated with task cohesion (r = 0.63, p < 0.001) and performance (r = 0.29, p < 0.001), and task cohesion correlated with performance (r = 0.29, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated that task cohesion partially explained the leadership-performance relationship. These findings suggest that university teams benefit when coaches combine clear instruction with support, feedback, and athlete-centered communication.
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