Behavioural Regulation in football: a sex comparison

The study investigates the differences in types of behavioural regulation between male and female football players. The study involved 293 football players (110 women) aged between 18 and 32 (22.15 ± 4.18 years). The Behavioural Regulation in Sport Questionnaire was used to assess six types of motivation regulation. Both sexes showed high levels of self-determined motivation (e.g., intrinsic motivation: males = 5.84±.91; females = 6.01±.94) and low levels of amotivation (males = 1.34±.55; females = 1.39±.63) and external regulation (males = 1.99±1.01; females = 2.10±1.02). Women showed higher levels of intrinsic motivation and introjected regulation. Statistically significant differences were found between the sexes in introjected (p=.03; d=.19), identified (p=.04; d=.05), integrated (p=.04; d=.06), and intrinsic (p=.03; d=.18). Athletes of both sexes show healthy and self-determined motivational profiles. Although there are some differences between sexes, they are not significant. The results suggest that coaches and sports organisations should promote training contexts that support autonomy, competence, and relationships in order to strengthen forms of self-determined motivation in soccer players.