COMPARISON OF THE MOTIVATION LEVEL OF SOCCER PLAYERS WITH HIGH AND LOW PLAYED TIME IN MATCHES UNDER-20

ABSTRACT An athlete’s motivation is deemed one of the most important elements to achieve success in sports career. The aim of this study was to compare the motivation level of football athletes with long playtime (LPT) and short playtime (SPT) in a competition. The study assessed 112 federated athletes (18.58±1.06 years old) participating in Minas Gerais’s Under-20 Football Championship (2015), by means of the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS). The athletes’ playtime (PT) in the championship’s qualifying rounds was registered through the analysis of 48 official referee report forms. The athletes were grouped according to their PT - SPT ≤25% (≤184 minutes) and LPT ≥75% (≥513 minutes). Results showed that those with LPT presented higher levels of self-determination and higher scores of intrinsic motivation compared to SPT athletes (p<0.05), and SPT athletes seemed less motivated in said competition (p<0.05). In conclusion, LPT athletes in official matches scored higher in self-determination and intrinsic motivation levels. On the other hand, those with SPT in official games showed higher demotivation compared to the former.