Spójność grupowa i pozytywna komunikacja w zespole piłkarskim a jego poziom sportowy

Marcin Sobczyk , Joanna Janas , Adam Sobolewski , Dariusz Parzelski

Abstract

The study investigates the relation between group cohesion, positive interpersonal communication during play, and team performance. The participants of the study consisted of 59 collegiate players from 6 different indoor soccer teams that took part in the academic championships of the Warsaw area. During this tournament, the 6 teams were videotaped and, subsequently, analyzed in terms of their positive communication levels. In this study, positive communication between the players was defined as verbal and non-verbal cues exchanged by the players during play that were intended to improve their current performance (e.g., warning: “man on!”, or raising hand to get a pass). Elements of negative communication or communication coming from the bench or the coach were not counted. Additionally, each participant completed the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) [1]. The performance of the 6 teams was assessed on the basis of the tournament statistics (place achieved, points gathered, and goals scored). The results of the study suggest that there might be a positive relation between a team’s group cohesion, positive communication, and performance.