PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMME BASED ON TEAM-BUILDING PRINCIPLES IN A YOUTH FOOTBALL TEAM

This study aims to develop a team-building program, a multidimensional psychological intervention based on the principles of team building (TB) (Spink and Carron, 1993, Vicente, 1999), and assess whether it can foster the development of team satisfaction and cohesion. The participants were 20 young footballers from one team. The Cohesion and Satisfaction perception variables were accessed with the Portuguese version of the ASQp and GEQp. The results showed that after the TB intervention, social cohesion increased, task cohesion held steady and satisfaction associated with aspects that converged towards the goals decreased. In the follow-up phase, task cohesion was steady and social cohesion declined. In conclusion, a psychological intervention programme may be a catalyst of cohesion, team satisfaction and performance within the context of this group.