EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS ONE OF THE FACTORS IN FORMING THE PERSONAL SPHERE OF YOUNG FOOTBALL PLAYERS 9–10 YEARS OLD

Abstract

The preparation of a qualified sports reserve in football depends on many factors, among which one of the leading places today is occupied by the compliance of the psychological characteristics of players with the requirements of sports activities in conditions of high competition. Considering and further purposeful formation of the personal sphere of young football players can significantly and positively affect not only the effectiveness of their training process and competitive activities, but also improve a number of closely related components such as: socialization and adaptation in different teams, communication in internal and external spaces, the ability to self-organize and strategic planning of a sports career, etc. The complex of psychological personal qualities that largely determine the success of sports activities in football is usually called leadership. In turn, one of the key components of the formation of leadership abilities is emotional intelligence (EI), which determines the ability to recognize, understand and effectively manage one’s own emotions, as well as to consider the emotional state of other people when interacting with them. The purpose of these studies was to determine the role and significance of emotional intelligence in the formation of leadership qualities of young football players at the stage of initial training. The results obtained in the course of the studies allowed us to determine the level of formation of individual components of emotional intelligence in young football players aged 9–10. Having analyzed the data obtained, we identified the main reasons for the insufficient formation of the studied indicators and proposed means and forms of correction of both pedagogical and special nature. Among the main reasons for the low level of formation of individual components of emotional intelligence, we identified the following: age-related features of the cognitive development of children aged 9–10, lack of experience in social interaction, features of the educational and training process, the influence of the social environment (parents, teachers, coaches, etc.). The research results highlighted in the work indicate the presence of significant opportunities in improving the quality of training of young football players by implementing systematic work aimed at the formation of personal qualities of athletes and emotional intelligence in particular.