Monitoring the Climate: Exploring the Psychological Environment in an Elite Soccer Academy

Fostering a constructive motivational climate is an important contributor to an individual’s motivation (Ames, 1992a Ames, C. (1992a). Achievement goals, motivational climate, and motivational processes. In G. C. Roberts (Ed.), Advances in motivation in sport and Exercise (pp. 161–176). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. [Google Scholar]), yet research within elite sport remains limited. The purpose of this study was to use the task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation, and time—or TARGET—framework to explore the motivational climate in an elite youth football academy. Sixty-four academy training sessions were observed. Findings suggested that the task, authority, recognition, and evaluation structures are most important in predicting a mastery motivational climate. Task organization parameters and coach behaviors influential in promoting adaptive and less adaptive psychological environments are discussed.