Zoe Beaulieu, Todd M. Loughead, Mason B. Sheppard, Krista J. Munroe-Chandler, Gordon A. Bloom, Mackenna Schiavo

Athlete leadership plays a critical role in effective team functioning, influencing satisfaction, cohesion, motivation, and performance (Cotterill et al., 2022; Loughead, 2017). Contemporary leadership theories and athlete leadership frameworks emphasize the importance of developing leadership capacity across multiple athletes within a team. In response, leadership training interventions have been developed to strengthen athlete leadership behaviours. However, many existing programs rely on in-person delivery, which can be resource intensive and limit accessibility and ongoing engagement. To address these challenges, the research team is developing an online athlete leadership training program known as the Leadership Excellence Athlete Driven (LEAD) Program. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the usability, acceptability, and perceived relevance of the LEAD modules among approximately 45 U Sports athletes from interdependent teams. Following each module, athletes will complete known measures assessing usability, acceptability, and training quality. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and exploratory analyses examining patterns across modules, and qualitative feedback will be collected using focus groups. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be used to inform program refinement. Findings from this pilot study will guide the development of the LEAD Program prior to broader implementation and contribute to the creation of accessible, scalable, and evidence-informed leadership development opportunities in Canadian university sport.