mehmet19.03.23.pdf

In this study, the relationship between leadership characteristics, communication skills and team cohesion of team captains in football was investigated; at the same time, the mediating effect of effective communication on the relationship between leadership and team cohesion was examined. Football players (n=324) actively playing football in 19 teams in the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) 2nd League White Group participated in the study. According to the results of the analysis, it was found that the perceptions of leadership communication and team cohesion of team captains of athletes differed according to some demographic characteristics. In addition, there was a significant relationship between leadership in sport and effective communication and between leadership in sport and team cohesion. Finally, according to the mediation analysis, it was found that effective communication has a partial mediating role in the relationship between leadership in sport and team cohesion and effective communication has an important role in the relationship between team captains' leadership characteristics and team cohesion. The results showed that effective communication has an important role in ensuring team cohesion of athlete leaders. In addition, it was seen that the formation of effective communication and effective team cohesion is directly proportional to the presence of an effective leader. Therefore, effective communication skills contribute significantly to captains' perceptions of leadership style and team cohesion.