Previous investigation of leadership indicates that elite athletes perceive Dark Leadership (DL) as beneficial for performance (Fletcher & Arnold, 2011). The aim of this study is to analyse sub-elite athletes’ perspective of DL. Specifically, to gain insight into the perspective of semi-professional football players on (a) why they believe managers use DL, (b) the consequences of DL and (c) what are the personal and contextual factors that can cause DL to have positive and/or negative effects. 12 male participants (Mean Age: 21±1.5), were competing at semi-professional level (Mean Experience: 4.58±0.95 years). Participants attended one semi-structured interview (40.89±4.63 minutes). Results for (a) suggest that managers use DL as a motivational tool, to get a reaction and for protection. Results for (b) indicate that DL can have positive and negative consequences, with (C) identifying contextual factors (Match-Related; Social Factors; Regularity) and personal factors (Manager-Related; Player-Related; Manager and Player Related). Elements such as stereotypical masculinity in semi-professional football culture, common leadership objectives, applied recommendations and future research suggestions are discussed.