sports coach UK Research Summary 4
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Developing Team Captains
Every team needs a leader. This is not just another sporting cliché, but something that has been demonstrated
by research. Given that only 30% of leadership is hereditarily based – in other words, leaders are made and not
born – how much time do you spend developing the leadership skills of your captain? This summary presents
ideas for developing leadership skills in captains based on interviews with identified experts in this field.
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sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains
Introduction
By the late 1980s, it was recognised that athlete leadership
was a critical element in producing effective team
performance. Further research has shown that captains not
only improve unity within teams, but they also help a coach
by encouraging and guiding teammates in both games and
practice.
New research suggests that coaches should actively try to
cultivate leadership skills, rather than just pick a captain and
expect things to happen. So, how do you develop these skills
in your captain? To find out, researchers from universities in
Michigan and New York spoke to coaches who had a
reputation for developing effective team captains. This
reputation was not based on win/loss records, but rather the
expertise of the coaches in training captains. Key results from
that research are described in this summary.
Selecting Good Captains
The first stage in developing a good captain is selecting the
right person. While it has already been noted that leaders are
made and not born, the coaches in the study did feel that
potential captains should display some natural ability. Typical
examples of this natural ability could be confidence, a passion
for their sport, respect among their peers, a good work ethic,
being vocal, supporting others, and being willing to take risks
to do the right thing.
Of course, there are also certain characteristics the coaches
will tend to avoid, and not surprisingly, many were the
opposite of the positive characteristics. These included being
afraid to speak up, having a poor work ethic, breaking the
rules, or not being inclusive or supportive. Perhaps the most
commonly stated trait to avoid was selfishness.
sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains
Strategies to Develop Captains
Once you’ve found the right individual as your captain,
the important thing is to invest time in developing their
leadership skills. What was interesting about the coaches
in this study was how proactive they were in developing
leadership skills rather than expecting things to develop
naturally. These coaches provided a number of strategies
that they had found to be successful in the past.
A common theme among the coaches was how they
encouraged their captains to learn from others and
follow examples of good leadership. These could be
from past captains, older athletes or just from
important adults.
One thing that all the coaches agreed on was the need
for good communication with their captain. This could
occur either during training or in more formal settings
such as coach/captain meetings. This communication
could revolve around general topics or be more
specifically focused on certain areas, such as expectations
or concerns. For example, one coach mentioned how
giving captains the opportunity to express concerns was
a way for them to find meaning in their role:
Constantly talk to them about any concerns that they may
have so they understand that it’s more than just a title, it’s
more than just going to the centre of the field on game day
and participating in the coin toss.
Providing captains with feedback and reinforcement
regarding their leadership actions and behaviours was a
strategy most coaches employed. The comments from
one coach show how this helps strengthen the
relationship, which in turn builds the confidence of
the captain:
I talk to one of the captains probably three times in a
practice where I’m being positive and thanking them for
what they’re doing. I find that really works well. The more we
develop that relationship and the more they can believe
that they’re valued and trusted, the better the job they do.
Coaches also encouraged their captains to take part in
formal leadership training, such as courses or
conferences, while one coach went so far as to develop
her own training programme by suggesting books that
captains could read and then getting the captains to
present on what they’d learnt. This is consistent with
other research that has shown the value of formal
leadership training.
sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains
The Pitfalls of Captains
Things to be Wary of
When coaches in this study were asked about the
biggest mistake they had made when developing
captains, what emerged was just how difficult it is to
find the correct balance of responsibility to give the
captain. Give them too little and the captaincy
becomes just a title with no development, but give
them too much responsibility and the coach can end
up relying on the captain to the extent that they
undermine their own authority.
Other dangers stemmed from what one coach
referred to as ‘taking the easy choice’ and selecting
the person that will make most people happy, rather
than the most appropriate candidate. This often came
from not getting to know the players fully and could
result in selecting someone who was popular but
didn’t want to be captain.
Given that research was based in youth sport, it is
perhaps not surprising that the coaches also identified
maturity as another important dimension in
leadership. As one coach stated:
It’s just their age, in that sometimes they haven’t had
enough life experience yet to understand that you have
to lead certain individuals differently than other
individuals.
Other, less common pitfalls to be aware of included
not communicating with captains, failing to reinforce
and educate them, developing poor relations with
coaches, and making assumptions about what
captains know and understand about leadership.
What emerges from this research is that although
leaders may display certain natural abilities, team
captains in sport are very much made and not born.
However, it is not enough to just pick a potential
captain and then rely on them to develop skills
through experience. Coaches need to take an active
role in the development of their captains. Based on
their findings, the researchers came up with a series
of recommendations that coaches might find useful.
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Conclusion
sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains
10 Ways to Develop
Your Captains
Develop a coaching philosophy that
places importance on developing
captains as leaders
Develop your philosophy around what attributes make
a good captain and what roles and responsibilities a
captain should have. It is also important to decide what
level of responsibility and decision making you are
willing to allow your captain.
Create a trusting team and motivational
climate
Make it clear that players can discuss issues with the
coach. Provide players with choices and allow them to
take the initiative while explaining the reasons behind
rules and limitations.
Be intentional in cultivating youth
leadership in captains
Recognise that all young people can learn to lead, and
make your players aware that they all have the capacity
to enhance their leadership skills. Encourage younger
players to take on leadership roles inside and outside
sport and to look for examples of successful leadership.
move on to concentrate on more advanced skills such
as tailoring their approach to meet the different needs
of teammates.
Hold regular meetings and provide
feedback to captains
Discuss what leadership involves
The captaincy is more than just an armband. Explain
that it involves inspiring others, being a good role model
and fostering acceptance of team goals.
Allow your captain to act as spokesperson for the team
and provide them with opportunities to talk about any
problems they are having. In turn, you can feed back to
the captain about their leadership skills and behaviours.
Determine the method of selecting your
captain
Recognise that young people will make
mistakes
Decide on the characteristics of a good leader and
captain before you start the selection process.
Explain to captains what their roles and
duties involve and the approach that
will be taken when working with them
Outlining specific expectations in advance can foster a
more positive experience for your captain.
Help your captains learn to lead
First, develop their skills in talking to groups, motivating
teammates and listening. As they develop these skills,
Coaches must be patient with their young leaders, who
may well be leading for the first time. Remember to
judge performance against the age, experience and
development level of your captain.
Discuss with your captain how the
leadership skills they learn can transfer
beyond sport
While effective captains will help team performance, it
is also true that the captaincy is an opportunity for the
young person to learn skills that will be valuable outside
sport.
sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains
Further Reading
If you are interested in finding out more about this
area, the core of this summary is based on the
article below:
Gould, D., Voelker, D. and Griffes, K. (2013) ‘Best
coaching practices for developing team captains’,
The Sport Psychologist, 27: 13–26.
Other more general reading on this area includes:
Avery, R., Rotundo, M., Johnson, W., Zhang, Z. and
McGue, M. (2006) ‘The determinants of leadership
role occupancy: Genetic and personality factors’, The
Leadership Quarterly, 17: 1–20.
Vincer, D. and Loughead, T. (2010) ‘The relationship
among athlete leadership behaviours and team
cohesion’, The Sport Psychologist, 24: 448–467.
© sports coach UK, 2014 Designed and produced by Coachwise Ltd 90872:3a All photos © Alan Edwards unless otherwise stated
Todd, S. and Kent, A. (2004) ‘Perceptions of the role
differentiation behaviors of ideal peer leaders: A
study of adolescent athletes’, International Sports
Journal, 8 (2): 105–118.