How Does Paternalistic Style Leadership Relate to Team Cohesiveness in Soccer Coaching?

Abstract

I examined the relationship between a soccer coach using a paternalistic style of leadership and the cohesiveness of the team. I found that the biggest group of soccer players in higher education in Taiwan are male, approximately 19 years old, forward players, and interested in participating in Division 1 of the University Soccer League. These players trained with a coach for 2 to 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. Team performance differed under a soccer coach according to whether the paternalistic leadership style was benevolent, virtuous, or authoritarian. There was a significant correlation between soccer coaches who had a paternalistic style of leadership and team cohesiveness.