Encouraging togetherness during a national lockdown: The influence of Relationship-Orientated Personal-Disclosure Mutual-Sharing on team functioning in academy soccer coaches

The present study examined the influence of an online Relationship-Orientated Personal-Disclosure Mutual-Sharing (ROPDMS) intervention upon diverse measures of group functioning during a national lockdown. Twelve soccer coaches and one senior member of staff from a professional female soccer academy participated by openly disclosing and sharing unknown personal stories amongst one another. Social identity dimensions (ingroup ties, cognitive centrality and ingroup affect), friendship identity content (FIC), social support, self-esteem, and a non-equivalent dependent variable (NEDV) were measured across four time-points, while social validation was obtained immediately and 4-weeks after ROPDMS. Quantitative data revealed significant increases for ingroup ties, cognitive centrality, and FIC after ROPDMS, while the NEDV did not significantly change. Qualitative data revealed coaching staff felt the session was worthwhile and enhanced aspects of team functioning. Online ROPDMS therefore appears to be a viable team-building method for practitioners seeking to strengthen social identity dimensions and FIC during a national lockdown.