Coaches' Criteria for Talent Identification of Youth Male Soccer Players.

Jan Fuhre,Arild Øygard,Stig Arve Sæther

doi:10.3390/sports10020014

Abstract

Introduction: The main aim of this study was to examine which criteria coaches considered in the talent identification of youth male soccer players aged 13–16. The second aim was to describe how the coaches considered these criteria when identifying players for their club or regional teams and how these criteria take the impact of the relative age effect into consideration. Methods: We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with six male coaches from a professional club academy or a regional team within the Norwegian Football Federation. Results: In line with earlier research, the results showed that the coaches considered the technical, tactical, and mental factors as the most important in talent identification. Further in line with earlier research, they considered that the physiological and sociological factors were of secondary importance, while anthropometric measures were considered the least important. Regarding the relative age effect, the coaches were aware of the effect and its consequences, while few of them had ways to reduce the effect and its impact on their talent identification process. Even so, the coaches highlighted the importance of considering a holistic approach to talent identification. Conclusion: The results show similarities with earlier research, but there is still a need for more longitudinal studies that investigate criteria for talent identification in youth football.

Highlights

The main aim of this study was to examine which criteria coaches considered in the talent identification of youth male soccer players aged 13–16
The results implied that the coaches considered the technical, tactical, and mental factors as the most important in Talent identification (TID)—ball control, decision making, and motivation
They considered, in line with earlier research, that the physiological and sociological factors were of secondary importance, while the anthropometric measures were considered the least important

Summary

Introduction

The main aim of this study was to examine which criteria coaches considered in the talent identification of youth male soccer players aged 13–16. The concept of talent has been related to TID and has usually been understood and used on players who have an above-average level of ability within a domain [5] This traditional approach is a process seldom based on objective criteria, but on the coach’s subjective perceptions of the ideal player, skillset, and/or potential, where previous experiences and intuition of the recruiter influence the assessment [6]. Such a subjective assessment practice has been demonstrated by earlier research to be the norm in professional soccer around the world [1,7,8,9] as well as a practice that can lead to repeated misjudgments and limited continuity in identifying talent [10]

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Discussion

Conclusion