Abstract

The authors investigated the mediating role of young soccer players’ satisfaction of their need for perceived competence, autonomy and social relatedness in the relationship between coach created motivational climates and the players’ motivational regulation. Second, the combined effect of climate, mediators and motivational regulation on subjective vitality was examined. Participants were 283 young male and female soccer players between the ages of 12 and 16 years (M=13.09 years, SD=0.78 years) taking part in the 2004 Norway Cup international youth soccer tournament. Using regression analyses, satisfaction of the need for competence, autonomy and relatedness significantly and partially mediated relations between a mastery climate and intrinsically regulated motivation. Further a mastery climate, satisfaction of the need for competence, autonomy and relatedness related positively to more intrinsically regulated motivation. A mastery climate, satisfaction of the need for autonomy, and intrinsically regulated motivation all independently predicted subjective vitality in soccer. Findings illustrate the value of integrating tenets of achievement goal theory and self-determination theory by studying paths between distal contextual factors and more proximal psychological mediating influences. Verf.-Referat (geändert)