Motivation and Club Support in Youth Football Academies: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

This project investigates how motivational factors influence the transition from youth football academies to professional football. Although hundreds of thousands of young athletes participate in football academies worldwide, only a very small proportion eventually reach the professional level. Despite significant financial and structural investments in youth development systems, many talented players fail to successfully transition to professional football, often due to motivational challenges. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examines how the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) develops across different stages of youth football academies. In particular, the research focuses on how these psychological needs are experienced by male academy players in different developmental age groups. The study adopts a qualitative research design and uses semi-structured interviews with youth football players from four developmental age categories (U13, U15, U17, and U19). The interview data will be analyzed using thematic analysis, supported by qualitative data analysis tools such as MAXQDA, in order to identify recurring motivational patterns and differences across age groups. The main objectives of this project are: To examine whether the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) is associated with players’ progression toward professional football. To explore how the satisfaction of these needs changes across different developmental stages in youth football academies. To provide practical insights for football clubs on how motivational environments within academies can better support long-term player development. By combining theoretical insights from Self-Determination Theory with qualitative empirical data, this research aims to contribute to the literature on motivation in youth sport and offer practical implications for improving developmental environments in football academies