MOTIVATIONAL ISSUES AT BATH CLUB

Motivational Issues at Bath Rugby

[David Wilson]

Introduction1

Methodology3

Literature Review5

Motivation5

Types of Motivation5

Motivational Theories7

Goal-Setting7

Self-Determination8

Findings9

Recommendations10

References13

Appendix15

Motivational Issues at Bath Club

Introduction

Based in the city of Bath, Somerset, Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club. They play in the league of Aviva Premiership. Founded in 1865, the club is not only one of the oldest clubs in English but also has one of the best track records in England. The club has been successful in the past in various competition: England's domestic competition, the Anglo-Welsh Cup (as the John Player and Pilkington Cup), as well as the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup. In recent years, the club has been disappointing and is experiencing a stage of rebuilding. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of motivational strategies on the team performance of Bath Rugby; i.e. how increasing the motivational level of players can lead to better results throughout the team. According to Chris Stankovich (2012), motivation can be the key to unchaining player's success. When motivation of a player is high, he is more committed and focused to his goals and mentally tough. There is a close relationship of all of these variables to players' success. In the world of sport management, motivation is a crucial aspect for accomplishment. That's why, sport managers are often seeking the most research-based and effective approaches to motivation.

Motivation is, in general, defined as the processes that make up intensity, direction, and persistence of effort of an individual towards the attainment of a goal. Intensity, direction, and persistence are the three core concepts of motivation that describes how hard an individual makes an effort, where the effort is imparted, and how long the effort is sustained (Robbins, 2009, p. 144). It is explained by motivation why in certain ways, an individual behaves; and consequently, this concept can be used by sports managers to guide the practice of encouraging or discouraging certain behaviors of players and thus enhance their performance.

The general definition of motivation is the stimulation felt by an individual that prompts him to put in effort toward goal attainment. Motivation varies a lot among players, when it comes to things like training and practice etc. Usually, the best players are those with great instinctive capabilities paired off with high motivation to reach their potential. However, all the players cannot be that lucky ones with superior genetics, but a sport can "level the playing field" against more exceptional players by upping your motivation. That's why, in sports, motivation is so important.

The importance of motivation is also recognized by sports managers at Bath Rugby and they verbally try to motivate players continually as a group; however, due to the absence of other key ingredients, the set goals cannot be attained. While comparing Bath Rugby to other teams such as Saracens (a professional rugby union team based in St Alban), it is quite obvious why they are in the top four of the premiership competing in the playoffs to ...