Metaphoric descriptions of pre- and post-game performance-related experiences in a soccer team during a competitive season

The main aim of the present study was to examine performance-related experiences of a youth female soccer team throughout a competitive season. Perceived game importance and expectations about the games were examined as antecedents of emotional experiences of the team. The perceived individual and team performances, outcomes of the games and the team’s post-game emotional experiences were also investigated. Finally, inferences to the team’s emotional climate were made. The participants included 24 female soccer players between the ages of 14 and 18 from a club team in Central Finland. The data were collected, prior to and after each game of the season, using the metaphor self-generation met…