Leadership and Life Balance
How Do I Stop Cliques From Splitting My Team?
Rhema Adelaja · National Champion & 4x DUX
Treat team bonding as a skill, not a bonus. Tell athletes why you mix groups, then mix them all season, in practice, on the bus and at events. Step in the moment a group excludes others. Give teammates shared jobs outside competition so separating them does not breed resentment.
The answer
- Treat building bonds across the whole team as a core skill, as important as the athletic ones.
- Accept that friend groups are normal. Act when a group excludes others.
- Explain why you are connecting the whole team, so mixing groups never feels like a punishment.
- Mix groups from the first week, not after problems appear. Do not let athletes choose their own groups.
- Keep mixing all season: practice groups, seating, lockers, carpools and roommates.
- Respond at once when you see a clique. Go back to icebreakers, randomise bus seats and change practice groups.
- Do not stop at separating people. Give teammates shared tasks outside competition, such as running the team's social media.
- Ask parents for help, for example by carpooling with teammates they do not know. Find the exact leak, exclusion not friendship, and fix that first.
For information only. This is general information for student-athletes, not medical, legal, financial or professional advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your own situation. Terms
Rules and amounts change. Check the official source before you act. Last checked: 28 October 2026.