Amin Akbar, Zulakbal Abd Karim, Jaffry Zakaria, Rizal Kurniawan, Firunika Intan Cahyani
Grassroots football is an essential issue in various countries for football development. However, research on the development and significance of football at the grassroots level still needs to be completed and expanded. Grassroots football is about children's participation at the recreational level and is a fundamental part of football to take it to the next level. This study aims to determine the psychological characteristics of soccer players aged 6–9 years, which is the initial phase of children participating in soccer training, which is one of the aspects needed at the grassroots level. This study uses qualitative methods with an evolved grounded theory approach to understanding unknown phenomena better. The subjects in this study consisted of eight youth football coaches with a minimum of five years of coaching experience; coach experience is a resource that can be used and has implications for coaching soccer players in the future. Data was collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews, observation, and document analysis. Integrating various methods in the data collection process was considered to cover the weaknesses of a method. The data collected was analyzed with qualitative research software, namely N-Vivo 14. Which is a Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) that can help organize, prepare code, and analyze research data in an efficient and organized manner. The results showed that happiness, cultivating good habits, and early communication skills are the psychological characteristics children need to play football at the academy early. The results of this study can be a reference for grassroots coaches to modify training patterns by involving psychological aspects in them. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.
Faculty Psychology and Health, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia; Faculty of Sports Science and Coaching, University Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia; Faculty of Sports Coaching Education, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia
