Competitive anxiety in soccer: differences across playing roles and sport participation levels

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. Competitive anxiety is associated with psychological responses during sports performance in soccer. Players with different roles on the pitch may experience different psychological demands during competition. Despite the use of various approaches to psychological preparation in soccer, the relationship between competitive anxiety, playing roles, and sport participation level remains a subject of practical interest. This study aimed to examine competitive anxiety in relation to playing roles and the level of sports participation in soccer. Materials and Methods. The study involved 78 male participants, including professional soccer players (N = 39) aged 17 to 21 from four clubs and amateur soccer players (N = 39) aged 17 to 22, who were physical education students recruited from Sport University. The roles of professional soccer players were categorized into two main groups: offensive (creative) and defensive (destructive), based on their primary functions on the pitch. To evaluate the competitive anxiety of all participants, the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) was used. Results. Professional soccer players demonstrated significantly lower levels of competitive anxiety compared to students (p = 0.028). No significant differences in competitive anxiety were found between offensive and defensive players (p > 0.05). However, a moderate effect size (d = 0.57) suggested potential role-related variation. Conclusions. Competitive anxiety appears to be more strongly associated with sport participation level than with playing role. These findings support the idea of relative psychological similarity across playing roles. Coaches working with less experienced athletes should gradually increase competitive demands and use match-like training to support adaptive anxiety regulation.