Perceptions of Interest/Enjoyment, Perceived Competence, and Value/Usefulness Among Young Soccer Players in an 11-Week Soccer Training Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background/Objectives: In this study, we aimed to examine the changes in players’ interest/enjoyment, perceived competence, and value/usefulness through an 11-week soccer training program, using a randomized experimental study. Methods: Overall, 175 children aged 9–12 years applied to join the soccer training program at a free soccer school. Of the 175 applicants, 100 were randomly chosen to participate in the soccer training program in the intervention group (IG), whereas the other 75 children were in the control group (CG). Both groups completed a questionnaire with validated items related to interest/enjoyment, perceived competence, and value/usefulness before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the soccer training program. Results: The main finding was that participation in the 11-session soccer training program did not affect the children’s perceived competence, interest/enjoyment, or value/usefulness in a positive or negative direction compared to the CG. Another main finding was a significant decrease in interest/enjoyment from pre-test to post-test in both the control group and the intervention group. Also, the control group had higher values of perceived competence than the intervention group at both pre-test and post-test. However, the effect sizes are very small in both groups, and the practical relevance is small. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that participation at the 11-session soccer training program did not affect the children’s perceived competence, interest/enjoyment, and value/usefulness in a positive or negative direction compared to the CG. Future studies should include longer intervention periods with more weekly and overall training sessions.