ABSTRACT
Teammates and other peers impact the quality of sport experiences, yet are often overlooked by sport psychologists seeking to enhance performance and developmental outcomes in young athletes. Fostering adaptive peer relationships in youth sport offers many potential benefits and warrants greater attention. In this chapter we provide definitions of key peer relationships constructs and share selected research on peer relationships in sport. We then offer strategies to promote adaptive peer relationships. These strategies involve reinforcing an adaptive motivational climate that cultivates interdependent goals, cooperative learning opportunities, emphasis on process, and athletes taking personal responsibility for the team climate. These strategies also involve promoting dimensions of positive friendship quality by fostering enjoyable play, supportiveness, commitment, and discovery of shared interests and values. Finally, we share considerations in addressing conflict and social exclusion among peers. Optimising relationships among peers in sport represents a youth-centred and developmentally meaningful approach to sport psychology practice.
