The Importance of Goal Setting and the Meaning of Success: A Narrative Inquiry into the Asian Cup Journey of the South Korea National Football Team (U-17) Coach

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the importance of goal setting and the meaning of success for sport teams based on the case study of the South Korea national football team's under-17 coach during the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup.BR Method: Narrative inquiry was applied to effectively achieve the purpose. The coach's journey, consisting of 50 days of training and 18 days for competition, was transitioned from field text to research text through an in-depth interview. The in-depth interview took place on July 19, 2023, and the authors coded the data with reference to Barkin et al.'s (1999) interview analysis procedure. Through a member check, the validity and reliability were confirmed.BR Results: The in-depth interview revealed four significant findings. First, the specificity and difficulty of the team's goal setting affect team performance; the coach attempted to simplify challenging training sessions for better comprehension. Second, self-efficacy is important to achieve the goal; the coach encouraged young athletes to improve their self-efficacy without blaming them for their mistakes. Third, strategies and skills must be developed to achieve the goal effectively; the coach communicated with athletes by sharing his personal feelings in a way that reached them sincerely. Fourth, persistence and direction are important for setting and achieving goals; for the continuous growth of young athletes, it is necessary to share a consistent plan systematically at the organizational level.BR Conclusion: During the 2023 AFC Asian Cup journey, the coach focused on improving the athletes' abilities, and at the same time, the team managed to finish second. Their journey carries significant meaning regarding the importance of goal setting and the meaning of success for elite sport teams. In this respect, this study is of academic significance as it conducted qualitative research by applying a theoretical framework and expanded the scope of goal-setting research based on an actual case. It is of practical significance as it provides valuable and helpful information to the stakeholders involved in operating the sport organizations and teams.