Abstract
Characteristics of learning activities in early sport participation play a key role in the development of the sporting talent. Therefore, pathways of specialisation or diversification/sampling are as well debated as the implementation of practice- or play-oriented activities. The related issues are currently perceived as a two-dimensional construct of domain specificity and performance orientation. In this context, it has been shown that early specialisation, with experiences in practice and play, has led to Swiss junior national team football players reaching higher success levels as adults. This study aimed to examine whether a similar approach improves chances of even being selected for junior national teams from a broader sample. Hence, 294 youth players answered retrospective questionnaires on their early sport participation when entering the Swiss football talent development programme. Using the person-oriented Linking of Clusters after removal of a Residue (LICUR) method, volumes of in-club practice, free play and activities besides football until 12 years of age were analysed along with age at initial club participation. According to the results, clusters of Football enthusiasts (p = 0.01) with the most free play and above average in-club practice and Club players (p = 0.02) with the most in-club practice and average free play had a greater chance of reaching junior national team level. Thus, high levels of domain-specific activities seem to increase the chances of junior national team participation. Furthermore, the most successful constellation (Football enthusiasts) may illustrate the relevance of domain-specific diversity, induced by several types of practice and play. In line with previous studies, specialising in football and sampling different experiences within this specific domain seems to be the most promising pathway. Therefore, we argue that the optimal model for the development of football talents is a specialised sampling model.
Highlights
For economic and prestige reasons, football organisations try to develop outstanding players (Relvas et al, 2010; Grix and Carmichael, 2012)
A combination of these figures may lead to the conclusion that the chance of reaching higher levels of youth football increases from an early sport participation consisting of fewer learning activities (Football abstainers; tendency for local level), to one with less specific activities (Average players and Poly-sportive players; tendency for regional level) up to one with a high amount of domain-specific activities (Football enthusiasts and Club players; tendency for national level)
This study examined the influence of characteristics of learning activities within early sport participation on youth football success levels
Summary
For economic and prestige reasons, football organisations try to develop outstanding players (Relvas et al, 2010; Grix and Carmichael, 2012). To succeed in this aim, clubs and national federations have to think twofold. In the search for this optimisation, several athlete development models have emerged from research and been adapted and implemented by professional sport organisations (Bruner et al, 2010; Côté and Vierimaa, 2014). Policy makers in clubs and federations may struggle in designing evidence-based structures within talent development in football, demonstrating a need for further research on the parameters of practice for child athletes (Mountjoy et al, 2008)
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