Examining the relationship between football referees' leadership and self-confidence

The main aim of this study is to examine the relationship between leadership and self-confidence among football referees operating in Antalya province. Additionally, it aims to analyze the levels of leadership and self-confidence of participant referees based on their demographic characteristics. In this study, a descriptive survey model was adopted, and the data collection process was conducted through a questionnaire. Subsequently, the collected data were analyzed. The population of the research consists of football referees serving in different classes in Antalya. The research sample was selected from 227 (192 male and 35 female) volunteer football referees serving in different classes (Elite referee, elite assistant referee, Regional referee, Regional assistant referee, Women's regional referee, Women's regional assistant referee, Provincial referee, and candidate referee) in Antalya province during the 2022-2023 football season. As the data collection tool, a 9-item Personal Information Form developed by the researcher, the Self-Confidence Scale designed by Akın (2007), consisting of 33 items and 2 sub-dimensions, and the Leadership Styles Scale developed by Dereli (2003), adapted into Turkish, consisting of 32 items and 4 sub-dimensions, were used. In evaluating the findings obtained in the study, the SPSS 23.0 package program was used for statistical analyses. Independent samples t-test was applied to examine differences between two variables, and one-way analysis of variance was used to examine differences between more than two variables. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to investigate whether there is a significant relationship between participants' self-confidence and leadership styles. The internal consistency of the responses given in the study was calculated using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient (Table 5.1). The significance level of the research was considered as p<0.05. Based on the test results, it was determined that there is a positive relationship between leadership orientation and self-confidence.