The Case of Iraqi and Malaysian University Football Athletes with Sport Leadership Styles of Coaches" A comparative study

Abstract

The Case of Iraqi and Malaysian University Football Athletes with Sport Leadership Styles of Coaches"

A comparative study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between athletes’ satisfaction with their coaches’ leadership styles. The study explored the differences between Iraqi (n = 100) and Malaysian (n = 100) university-level male athletes in their leader style preferred.  Methodologically, this research used the Multidimensional Model of Leadership (MML) to identify the relationship between five leadership styles (training and instruction, autocratic leadership, democratic leadership, social support and positive feedback) and athletic satisfaction, as depicted by two instruments, namely, the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) and the Athlete Satisfaction Questionnaire (ASQ). A MANOVA analyses was used to test the differences between three composite satisfaction categories of ‘low satisfied, moderate satisfied, and highly satisfied'. The results showed that the Iraqi athletes preferred more positive feedback style and social support while the Malaysian athletes preferred significantly more training and instruction style. Iraqi and Malaysian athletes negatively related to autocratic leadership style. By contrast, the satisfaction of athletes is positively related to democratic leadership, social support and positive feedback. Overall, the results of the study emphasized the importance of the relationship between preferred leadership styles of coaches and athletes’ satisfaction in two different countries.

Keywords: Coach, Leadership style, Athlete, Sport, Football.