Leadership is a concept as old as human history, but today it is considered one of the most effective elements in individuals and groups reaching their goals. As in different fields, leadership is one of the basic factors shaping success in the world of sports. Especially in team sports, leadership does not only determine strategy, but also includes critical tasks such as providing motivation, managing conflicts and creating team spirit.

In this section, the concept of leadership will be addressed from a multi-faceted perspective, and leadership types and approaches will be examined together with their theoretical foundations. Traditional and contemporary leadership approaches will be evaluated comparatively; the characteristics and application areas of different leadership styles such as authoritarian, democratic, transformational and servant leadership will be explained. In addition, the unique importance of leadership in the context of sports will be emphasized and the leadership roles of figures such as coaches, captains and sports managers will be highlighted.

This section aims to provide the reader with both a general framework regarding the concept of leadership and to establish a basis that will show why leadership in sports has a special importance. In the rest of the section, a comprehensive leadership analysis supported by theoretical information and examples from the field of sports is presented.