Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings
Football is one of the most widely practiced sports in the world, and competition significantly influences athletic performance, especially in adolescents who experience emotional pressure that impacts their performance through the management of performance-related stress. Physical education is inte...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1511719/full |
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| author | Sara Aliberti Francesca D’Elia Giuseppe Giardullo Giuseppe Giardullo Gaetano Raiola |
| author_facet | Sara Aliberti Francesca D’Elia Giuseppe Giardullo Giuseppe Giardullo Gaetano Raiola |
| author_sort | Sara Aliberti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Football is one of the most widely practiced sports in the world, and competition significantly influences athletic performance, especially in adolescents who experience emotional pressure that impacts their performance through the management of performance-related stress. Physical education is integrated within the school curriculum, but it is also typically delivered in sports associations engaged in competitive activities, which become informal learning environments as they pursue the same educational goals as schools. However, few studies have focused on this aspect, particularly the role of emotions and their relationship with performance anxiety in adolescent football players. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between pre-competitive anxiety and emotional regulation in adolescents regarding competitive performance. The study design was exploratory. A sample of 79 Under-19 football players, with a mean age of 14.6 (±1.89) years, was recruited through convenience sampling. A battery of pre-competition questionnaires was administered, including the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) to measure anxiety levels and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF) to assess pre-competition emotional levels. Spearman's correlation was used to evaluate the strength and direction of the relationship between emotional levels and anxiety, while Chi-square test was employed to examine differences in anxiety levels across different player roles. The results showed that 70% of the football players displayed normal anxiety levels, with no significant differences across player positions. No significant correlation was found between emotional levels and anxiety. The primary causes of anxiety were cognitive concerns and bodily sensations, which negatively affected concentration. Although emotions were generally high, they did not appear to directly influence performance anxiety, suggesting that other factors may contribute to pre-competitive emotional regulation. In conclusion, contrary to common belief, performance anxiety in adolescent football competitions does not have a direct impact on emotional levels. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ac4823413252440585046943272fdc1f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9367 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
| spelling | doaj-art-ac4823413252440585046943272fdc1f2025-01-30T06:22:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living2624-93672025-01-01710.3389/fspor.2025.15117191511719Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settingsSara Aliberti0Francesca D’Elia1Giuseppe Giardullo2Giuseppe Giardullo3Gaetano Raiola4Physical Education and Exercise Research Center, University Pegaso, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Human, Philosophical, and Educational Sciences, University of Salerno, Baronissi, ItalyPhysical Education and Exercise Research Center, University Pegaso, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, ItalyPhysical Education and Exercise Research Center, University Pegaso, Naples, ItalyFootball is one of the most widely practiced sports in the world, and competition significantly influences athletic performance, especially in adolescents who experience emotional pressure that impacts their performance through the management of performance-related stress. Physical education is integrated within the school curriculum, but it is also typically delivered in sports associations engaged in competitive activities, which become informal learning environments as they pursue the same educational goals as schools. However, few studies have focused on this aspect, particularly the role of emotions and their relationship with performance anxiety in adolescent football players. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between pre-competitive anxiety and emotional regulation in adolescents regarding competitive performance. The study design was exploratory. A sample of 79 Under-19 football players, with a mean age of 14.6 (±1.89) years, was recruited through convenience sampling. A battery of pre-competition questionnaires was administered, including the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) to measure anxiety levels and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF) to assess pre-competition emotional levels. Spearman's correlation was used to evaluate the strength and direction of the relationship between emotional levels and anxiety, while Chi-square test was employed to examine differences in anxiety levels across different player roles. The results showed that 70% of the football players displayed normal anxiety levels, with no significant differences across player positions. No significant correlation was found between emotional levels and anxiety. The primary causes of anxiety were cognitive concerns and bodily sensations, which negatively affected concentration. Although emotions were generally high, they did not appear to directly influence performance anxiety, suggesting that other factors may contribute to pre-competitive emotional regulation. In conclusion, contrary to common belief, performance anxiety in adolescent football competitions does not have a direct impact on emotional levels.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1511719/fullassessmentemotional intelligencesoccermonitoringanxiety |
| spellingShingle | Sara Aliberti Francesca D’Elia Giuseppe Giardullo Giuseppe Giardullo Gaetano Raiola Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings Frontiers in Sports and Active Living assessment emotional intelligence soccer monitoring anxiety |
| title | Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings |
| title_full | Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings |
| title_fullStr | Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings |
| title_short | Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings |
| title_sort | agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings |
| topic | assessment emotional intelligence soccer monitoring anxiety |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1511719/full |
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