Planning, implementation and evaluation of a team-building programme in a female youth football team : an action research case study

Abstract

Antunes, Nuno, 2015. Planning, Implementation and Evaluation of a Team-Building Programme in a Female Youth Football Team: an Action Research Case Study. Master's Thesis in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Department of Sport Sciences, University of Jyväskylä. 55 pp

It is believed that teams who work well together perform better. Frequently this requires an outside influence, which has been called team-building (TB). TB is a multivariate process and, therefore, should be studied as a multivariate issue. The current study focuses on understanding and describing the use of TB methods rather than directly investigating the effectiveness of the programme. Thus, the purpose was to describe the planning, implementation and evaluation of a TB programme. The present action research case study followed a 32 female junior football players for 8 months. The multivariate approach was used as a TB method, and included team and individual goal setting, performance profiling and role clarifying. Data was collected using a research diary, a player's reflective sheet and two quantitative tools, Group Environment Questionnaire and Perceived Relatedness Scale. Results revealed that the programme was beneficial for the players and the team. The study confirmed the importance of spending time developing personal rapport and assessing the needs of the team. Finally, the results of the study support the multivariate approach as an effective TB programme method. Hence, future studies could be aimed at validating this approach in different countries or levels of competition.