TY - JOUR T1 - Effective Communication as a Mediator between Leadership and Team Cohesion in Football Teams TT - Futbol Takımlarında Liderlik ve Takım Uyumu Arasında Bir Aracı Olarak Etkili İletişim AU - Metin, Mehmet AU - Eratlı Şirin, Yeliz PY - 2025 DA - September Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.38021/asbid.1700012 JF - Mediterranean Journal of Sport Science JO - MJSS PB - Hasan ŞAHAN WT - DergiPark SN - 2667-5463 SP - 478 EP - 489 VL - 8 IS - 3 LA - en AB - This study examines the relationship between leadership characteristics, communication skills, and team unity among football team captains. It also investigates the mediating effect of effective communication on the relationship between leadership and team unity . The study involved football players (n = 324) from 19 teams in the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) 2nd League. “Leadership for Sport Scale (LSS)”, “Team Cohesion Inventory” and “Effective Communication Scale in Team Sports” were used to collect the data. In the research, frequency, Cronbach Alpha reliability analysis, Anova, Pearson correlation and regression analysis methods such as frequency, Cronbach Alpha reliability analysis, correlated mediation effect method were used by Andrew F. Hayes using Process v4.2 software. Analysis results showed that athletes' perceptions of leadership, communication, and team unity varied based on certain demographic characteristics. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between leadership in sports and both effective communication and team unity . Finally, effective communication was found to mediate the relationship between leadership and team unity . Effective communication plays a crucial role in connecting team captains’ leadership characteristics with team unity . Additionally, the development of effective communication and team unity is directly related to the presence of an effective leader. In conclusion, communication skills significantly contribute to team captains' perceptions of leadership style and team unity. KW - leadership in sport KW - football KW - team captain KW - team cohesion KW - communication KW - mediation effect N2 - Bu çalışma, futbol takım kaptanlarının liderlik özellikleri, iletişim becerileri ve takım uyumu arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektedir. Ayrıca, liderlik ve takım uyumu arasındaki ilişkide etkili iletişimin aracılık etkisi de araştırılmaktadır. Çalışmaya Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF) 2. Lig'de yer alan 19 takımdan futbolcular (n = 324) katılmıştır. Araştırma verilerinin toplanmasında; “Sporda Liderlik Ölçeği” (Leadership for Sport Scale-LSS), “Takım Birlikteliği Envanteri” ve “Takım Sporlarında Etkili İletişim Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada istatistik analizler olarak; frekans, Cronbach Alpha güvenirlik analizi, Anova, Pearson korelasyon ve regresyon analizi yöntemlerinden biri olan ilişkili aracılık etkisi yöntemi Andrew F. Hayes tarafından Process v4.2 adlı yazılımla kullanılmıştır. Analiz sonuçları, sporcuların liderlik, iletişim ve takım uyumu algılarının belirli demografik özelliklere göre değiştiğini göstermiştir. Ayrıca, sporda liderlik ile hem etkili iletişim hem de takım uyumu arasında anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur. Son olarak, etkili iletişimin liderlik ve takım uyumu arasındaki ilişkiye aracılık ettiği bulunmuştur. Etkili iletişim, takım kaptanlarının liderlik özellikleri ile takım uyumu arasında bağlantı kurulmasında önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Ayrıca, etkili iletişim ve takım uyumunun geliştirilmesi, etkili bir liderin varlığıyla doğrudan ilişkilidir. Sonuç olarak, iletişim becerileri takım kaptanlarının liderlik tarzı ve takım uyumu algılarına önemli ölçüde katkıda bulunmaktadır. CR - Alemdar, U. (2018). 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