COMPETITIVE ORIENTATION AND SPORT MOTIVATION OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN FOOTBALL PLAYERS: AN INTERNET SURVEY

Abstract

The primary aim of this exploratory study was to describe and examine relationships among competitive orientations, sport motivation, and age of professional women football players. A secondary aim was to examine differences in competitive orientations and sport motivation between younger and older players. Because the study is exploratory, specific hypotheses were not tested. A final aim of the project was to examine to the feasibility and utility of conducting sport and exercise psychology research through the Internet. Women professional football players (N =118) with ages ranging jrom 18 to 45 (M 31.11, SD = 6.09 years), were recruited via an e-mail sent to a team manager or coach. Respondents were directed to a website that contained the Informed Consent, Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ) (Gill & Deeter, 1988), and Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) (Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand, Tuson, Briere, & Blais, 1995). There were significant moderate correlations among SOQ and SMS scales. There was a significant negative correlation between age and the SMS Extrinsic Motivation Identification scale. MANO VA results revealed a nonsignificant age effect for SOQ scores and a significant age effect for SMS responses. Univariate results revealed SMS Extrinsic Motivation Identification was higher in younger players than older players. Internal reliability for SOQ and SMS responses was similar to values reported in previous studies. Overall, women in this study were highly competitive and intrinsically motivated. Sport and exercise psychologists are encouraged to consider the opportunities of Internet research.