METHODS: Participants were 385 Chinese high school football players (228 boys; 157 girls; Mage = 16.07 years; SD = 1.15; range = 14-19 years) on 20 teams from 45 high schools using a proportional stratified random sampling method. Participants filled out previously validated questionnaires, including the Interpersonal Behaviors Questionnaire (IBQ), Subjective Task Value (STV), The Task and Ego Orientations Questionnaire (TEOSQ), and Athlete Engagement Questionnaire (AEQ). To address the hypothesis testing, this study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the proposed multiple mediation model.