Motivation analysis of indoor soccer practice by 3 to 7 year-old children and of parents' expectations/ANALISE MOTIVACIONAL DA PRATICA DE FUTSAL EM CRIANCAS DE 3 A 7 ANOS DE IDADE E DAS EXPECTATIVAS DOS PAIS

Indoor soccer is probably the most requested sport in schools, soccer schools and also as a free-time activity of a great part of children in Brazil. The family have utmost influence in their children's sports practice; however, divergent expectations may frustrate and hinder a child's development. Therefore, it seems reasonable that the teacher/ coach understands what motivates both those who practice sports and their parents' motivations as well, in what relates to children initiating the practice of a given sport. This study aims to verify the motivation and interests of indoor soccer beginners in a school project with children as well as to compare them with those children's parents' motivation and interests about their children's practice. A total of 87 children aged between 3 and 7 years and 87 parents of these children participated in the study. The participants, children and their parents, answered the Motivation Inventory for the Practice of Sports, adapted from Gaya and Cardoso (1998). Differences in the proportion of answers related to motivational items for sports competence were identified: "to win" (p=0.01), "to be an athlete" (p=0.03), and "to develop skills" (p=0.04). There were differences between the answers of children and their parents in several of the motivation items in the three domains of the inventory: sports competence, health, and friendship/ leisure (p