Effects of modifying rules related to fair play in competition on the acquisition of values in U-10 football players
Abstract
Competitions in training stages replicate the formats and systems of professional sports, as well as the negative consequences. Youth sports programs must include adequate planning for personal development and the promotion of values in their objectives, considering the age, sociocultural context, and characteristics of the young athletes to whom they are directed. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a fair play score and classification valued by the team, rivals, and parents/guardians on a scale of 0 to 1, resulting in an average that was the final team's fair play score, with an extra point given for a white card (positive attitudes) or subtracting it (negative attitudes) shown by the referee during the match. A quasi-experimental A-B design was used to determine the impact of the rule changes. The players (n=51) competed in two tournaments with two competition formats (official rules and modified rules), and their values were assessed using the AMDYSQ (Attitudes to Moral Decision-making in Youth Sport Questionnaire) both before and after the tournament. The results show that the best results occur immediately before the competitions, with increasing values associated with fewer sporting behaviours in the unmodified tournament and nearly returning to baseline values in the modified tournament. The new proposed approach appears to shift the perspective and orientation of all competition agents, fostering positive values and an ethical approach primarily focusing not only on performance but also on the personal and moral development of young players.
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