The Relationship Between Coach Communication and Coaching Competence and Athlete Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Motivation Among Volleyball Athletes

This study investigates the effects of coach communication and coach competence on athlete satisfaction, with athlete motivation as a mediating variable, among volleyball athletes in Sleman Regency. A quantitative explanatory design was employed, involving active volleyball athletes as research participants. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine both direct and indirect relationships among variables. The results show that coach communication has a positive and significant effect on athlete satisfaction (β = 0.406; t = 4.874; p = 0.000). However, coach communication does not significantly affect athlete motivation (β = 0.205; t = 1.943; p = 0.052). Meanwhile, coach competence has a positive and significant effect on athlete satisfaction (β = 0.374; t = 4.348; p = 0.000) and athlete motivation (β = 0.663; t = 6.434; p = 0.000). Furthermore, athlete motivation significantly influences athlete satisfaction (β = 0.165; t = 2.485; p = 0.013). Mediation analysis indicates that athlete motivation does not significantly mediate the relationship between coach communication and athlete satisfaction (β = 0.034; t = 1.556; p = 0.120). In contrast, athlete motivation significantly mediates the relationship between coach competence and athlete satisfaction (β = 0.109; t = 2.252; p = 0.024).