Elite Player Performance Plan Research Articles

Relative Age Effects and the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP): A Comparison of Birthdate Distributions Within and Between Age Groups

Relative Age Effects and the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP): A Comparison of Birthdate Distributions Within and Between Age Groups

Stakeholder conceptualizations of mental health and mental illness in English Premier League Football academies

ABSTRACT Research aim: Mental health is often a misunderstood concept in sport. Additionally, little is known about how the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) has impacted the conceptualizations of mental health and mental illness in stakeholders working in English Premier League (EPL) environments. The present study aimed to understand EPL academy support staff’s (n = 8) perceptions, knowledge, and understanding of mental health and mental illness. Research methods: Researchers employed semi-structured interviews grounded in the Dual-Continua Model of Mental health (Keyes, 2002) and engaged in reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021a). Results: Results demonstrated inconsistent conceptualizations of mental health and mental illness. EPL academies were potentially mental health illiterate and lacked clear strategies to treat and prevent mental illness or promote mental health. Implications: Findings may be attributed to a culture that stigmatizes help-seeking, lack of understanding of the spectrum of mental health, and limited resources offered at club and regulatory body level. Importantly, EPL stakeholders should engage in robust, relevant training in preparation for applied practice; in line with this, the present study has implications for the training of EPL support staff. Research contribution: This study provides us with a deeper understanding of the mental health literacy of EPL academy support staff and that of their organizations.

A Rational-Emotive-Behavior Therapy Mindfulness Approach to Working Within the Elite Player Performance Plan

Consultancy with children is rarely reported in the sport psychology literature. In light of this, the current case study sought to outline an age-appropriate approach to support provision for a 10-year-old soccer athlete at an elite soccer academy. The trainee sport and exercise psychologist utilized a combined rational-emotive-behavior-therapy and mindfulness-based approach to practice to understanding the athlete’s challenges and implemented psychological skills training. Effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated through a modified family systems approach, and player feedback was elicited using an adapted consultant effectiveness form. Reflection on the intervention details how open-mindedness to service delivery can facilitate the understanding of psychological skills training in the early years of sport performance and could pave the way for future reception and application at later levels.

An Examination of the Experiences of Practitioners Delivering Sport Psychology Services within English Premier League Soccer Academies.

Sport psychology has become increasingly recognized and accepted within professional sports, including soccer. To date, there is a lack of research that examines the provision of sport psychology within elite soccer, particularly from the experience of applied practitioners working within the field. The current study adopted a qualitative, inductive approach, to examine the experiences of practitioners responsible for sport psychology delivery within elite soccer academies in England. Seven participants (four females; three males), working within academies in the English Premier League, took part in semi-structured interviews about their experience of delivering sport psychology services within elite soccer academies. Results demonstrated that the provision of sport psychology is continually evolving, yet there are a number of factors that appear to inhibit the full integration of the discipline into academy soccer. Six key themes were identified: The breadth of sport psychology provision; what is sport psychology; the stigma surrounding sport psychology services; psychological literacy; the elite youth soccer environment; and the delivery of sport psychology under the Elite Player Performance Plan. Participants identified a lack of psychological literacy among coaches and academy staff, as well as a low level of guidance regarding the provision of psychology within the England Football Association’s guiding document—the Elite Player Performance Plan—leading to considerable variation in the nature of the sport psychology provision. Future research would do well to also sample from a range of staff working within English soccer academies, in order to assess their perception of the level of provision and understanding of psychology.

An audit of performance nutrition services in English soccer academies: implications for optimising player development

ABSTRACT To audit the current provision of performance nutrition services provided to male adolescent players within academies from the English soccer leagues. Practitioners from all 89 academies (status categorised as one-four according to the Elite Player Performance Plan, EPPP) completed an online survey to audit: a) job role/professional accreditation status of persons delivering nutrition support, b) activities inherent to service provision, c) topics of education, d) on-site food, fluid and supplement provision and e) nutritional related data collected for objective monitoring. More full-time accredited nutritionists are employed within category one (14/26) versus category two (0/18), three (1/41) and four (0/4). Respondents from category one clubs report more hours of monthly service delivery (62 ± 57 h) than category two (12 ± 9 h), three (14 ± 26 h) and four (12 ± 14 h), inclusive of one-to-one player support and stakeholder education programmes. Category one practitioners reported a greater prevalence of on-site food, fluid and supplement provision on training and match days. Across all categories, players from the professional development phase receive more frequent support than players from the youth development phase, despite the latter corresponding to the most rapid phase of growth and maturation. We report distinct differences in the extent of service provision provided between categories. Additionally, players from all categories receive nutrition support from non-specialist staff. Data demonstrate that performance nutrition appears an under-resourced component of academy sport science and medicine programmes in England, despite being an integral component of player development.

Actors, interactions, ties, and networks: the ‘doing’ of talent identification and development work in elite youth football academies

ABSTRACT The Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) has transformed the ways in which young players are recruited, coached, supported and evaluated. To date, our scientific understanding of talent identification and development processes has been largely informed by (post)positivist studies addressing the physiological, psychological and biomechanical features of elite youth performance. In this paper, Crossley’s relational theorising is presented as a heuristic device that could allow us to systematically recognise the interdependencies, ties, dialectics, and co-constituted interactions that comprise talent identification and development activities in professional football. We argue that his thesis enables us to better understand both a) the configuration and meaning making of those that comprise these relational networks, and b) the enabling and constraining features of (inter)action for these interconnected actors. For us, such knowledge can ultimately support the generation of accounts of talent identification and development that better reflect their inherently social, interactive and practical complexity.

A literature review exploring the mental health issues in academy football players following career termination due to deselection or injury and how counselling could support future players

AbstractThe aim of this literature review was to show the mental health impact to academy football players after career termination due to deselection or injury. The review will also broaden to look at research around career termination in other sports. The place where this type of support could be implemented is within football clubs, before, during and post‐deselection or career termination for injured players. Previous research on this subject has relied on player case studies and questionnaires, and this has been unable to provide any substitutional evidence that deselected players are been given appropriate support. This is fundamentally destructive for players considering the high percentage of them being released (99% being released before their scholarship and 85% afterwards). This review looks at the limited research that has been published over the last few years to gain a better understanding of how this serious issue is overlooked. It focuses on what support is currently available and provides evidence to show how professional associations such as the PFA (Professional Football Association) and the LFE (League Football Education) treat deselected football players. The findings indicate that while the Elite Player Performance Plan supports players through education and by funding better facilities for clubs, the model bypasses emotional and psychological support for players before, during and after deselection, leaving an opening for the introduction of counselling services to support the players through this transition.

An exploration of the landscape of fundamental movement skills and strength development in UK professional football academies

The purpose of this study was to investigate the landscape of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) and strength development in professional football (soccer) academies in the UK. To achieve this, we interviewed 16 participants, whose primary responsibility was the physical development of youth players from a variety of Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) categorised academies. Following abductive analysis, we identified that whilst all participants acknowledged the importance of FMS and strength development for young football players, there was variance across EPPP categories relating to: (a) the time dedicated to developing FMS and strength; (b) the number, level of qualification, and utilisation of staff; and (c) the integration of the evidence informed practice into programme design and delivery. Although the key foci of academy strength and conditioning programmes generally prioritised injury reduction, performance improvement, and building a physical base for future development, the methods used to achieve these outcomes were varied. Finally, participants reported how relationships between support staff and technical coaching staff had a direct impact on the implementation of FMS and strength programmes. We have provided rich insights into a range of factors that may facilitate or hinder FMS and strength development within youth football players and thus helped to advance understanding of the practical implications of focusing on these key skills within athlete development programmes.

The moderating impact of maturation on acute neuromuscular and psycho-physiological responses to simulated soccer activity in academy soccer players

Resource constraints complicate load monitoring practices in some academies, which is problematic based on load-injury associations surrounding periods of rapid non-linear growth. Limited research has explored relationships between maturation and perceived psycho-physiological response to activity and associated neuromuscular performance changes. This study aimed to quantify neuromuscular and psycho-physiological responses to standardised activity and analyse whether dose-responses were moderated by maturation. Fifty-seven male soccer players (age: 14.1 ± 0.9 years; stature: 165 ± 10 cm; body mass, 57 ± 9 kg; percentage of predicted adult height 92.7 ± 5%) from two Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) academies completed the youth soccer-specific aerobic fitness test (Y-SAFT60). Countermovement jump (CMJ), reactive strength index (RSI), absolute (ABS) and relative leg stiffness (REL) were measured pre–post the Y-SAFT60 with playerload (PL), heart rate (HR), total distance (TDist) and differential ratings of perceived exertion (dRPE) used as markers of load and intensity. A moderation model was employed to analyse interactions of maturation as a continuous variable. Analysis indicated no significant interaction (p <0.05) between maturation and neuromuscular performance but RPE-Technical demonstrated significant interactions (p = 0.01). Slope analysis indicated four variables (PL, RSI, ABS and REL) that demonstrated significance at various stages of maturation, most notably aligning with peak height velocity (∼87–96% PAH). Tentatively, we propose that maturational developments in the neuromuscular system offer some mechanistic explanation to the varied dose-responses observed. It is therefore important that maturation is habitually considered within prescription of training programmes and that further empirical studies are completed to determine maturity specific dose-responses.

The Effects of a Soccer-Specific Fitness Test on Eccentric Knee Flexor Strength.

Physiological fitness testing, such as the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (YYIR) is a key requirement of the Elite Player Performance Plan, introduced by the English Premier League. Eccentric hamstring strength has been identified as a risk factor for hamstring injuries in soccer players, with fatigue highlighted to further exasperate this issue. The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of the YYIR level 1 (YYIR1) on eccentric knee flexor strength assessed using the NordBord in youth soccer players. Experimental design. Soccer club academy. A total of 67 male academy soccer players (age = 16.58 [0.57]y; height = 175.45 [5.85]cm; mass = 66.30 [8.21]kg) volunteered to participate in the current study during the English competitive soccer season. Participants conducted eccentric hamstring strength assessments using the NordBord prior to and immediately postcompletion of the YYIR1, with outcome measures of peak force and peak force relative to body mass recorded. Paired t tests highlighted increased absolute eccentric knee flexor strength values (P < .001) immediately post-YYIR1 for both the dominant and nondominant limbs, with the same trend (P < .001) observed for eccentric strength relative to body mass. The results of this study indicate that the YYIR1 does not induce eccentric knee flexor fatigue and as such is not a valid assessment method to assess the effects of fatigue on hamstring function. However, results do suggest that the NordBord may be considered a viable and more accessible alternative to detect pre-post fitness test/fatigue protocol differences in eccentric knee flexor peak strength while working in the field.

Translation, intensification and fabrication: professional football academy coaches’ enactment of the Elite Player Performance Plan

ABSTRACT The micro-level enactment of elite sport policy has received little critical coverage in the sociology of sport subdiscipline. This paper provides original insights into how coaches working in professional youth football academies variously interpreted, experienced and engaged with The FA Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). In-depth, cyclical interviews were used to generate data for this study. The transcripts were rigorously analysed using an iterative-phronetic approach, with Ball's critical theorising on policy enactment providing the primary heuristic framework. Our analysis highlighted the challenging nature of coaches’ engagement with, and enactment of, this policy. Specifically, the findings address (a) the intensification of the participants’ work-based tasks and duties, (b) increased accountability for player outcomes, (c) a loss in their professional autonomy and raised levels of managerial surveillance, (d) their strategic use of fabrications to represent themselves and their respective academies in favourable and policy-compliant ways to those that scrutinised their work. The findings also raise further questions regarding the need to better understand (a) the role of sports coaches in elite sport policy processes, especially when undertaking second-order administrative activities alongside their primary coaching roles and (b) the reasons why sports coaches continue to toil (or not) in workplaces characterised by increasing intensification and performance evaluation. Relatedly, moreover, how and in what ways the products of coaches’ work in these situations is understood and utilised by those in authoritative positions in elite sport requires critical consideration.

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Sprint Performance in Elite Youth Football Players

Pickering, C, Suraci, B, Semenova, EA, Boulygina, EA, Kostryukova, ES, Kulemin, NA, Borisov, OV, Khabibova, SA, Larin, AK, Pavlenko, AV, Lyubaeva, EV, Popov, DV, Lysenko, EA, Vepkhvadze, TF, Lednev, EM, Leońska-Duniec, A, Pająk, B, Chycki, J, Moska, W, Lulińska-Kuklik, E, Dornowski, M, Maszczyk, A, Bradley, B, Kana-ah, A, Cięszczyk, P, Generozov, EV, and Ahmetov, II. A genome-wide association study of sprint performance in elite youth football players. J Strength Cond Res 33(9): 2344-2351, 2019-Sprint speed is an important component of football performance, with teams often placing a high value on sprint and acceleration ability. The aim of this study was to undertake the first genome-wide association study to identify genetic variants associated with sprint test performance in elite youth football players and to further validate the obtained results in additional studies. Using micro-array data (600 K-1.14 M single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) of 1,206 subjects, we identified 12 SNPs with suggestive significance after passing replication criteria. The polymorphism rs55743914 located in the PTPRK gene was found as the most significant for 5-m sprint test (p = 7.7 × 10). Seven of the discovered SNPs were also associated with sprint test performance in a cohort of 126 Polish women, and 4 were associated with power athlete status in a cohort of 399 elite Russian athletes. Six SNPs were associated with muscle fiber type in a cohort of 96 Russian subjects. We also examined genotype distributions and possible associations for 16 SNPs previously linked with sprint performance. Four SNPs (AGT rs699, HSD17B14 rs7247312, IGF2 rs680, and IL6 rs1800795) were associated with sprint test performance in this cohort. In addition, the G alleles of 2 SNPs in ADRB2 (rs1042713 & rs1042714) were significantly over-represented in these players compared with British and European controls. These results suggest that there is a genetic influence on sprint test performance in footballers, and identifies some of the genetic variants that help explain this influence.

Types, Sources, and Debilitating Factors of Sport Confidence in Elite Early Adolescent Academy Soccer Players

This study provided a new contribution to the literature by examining elite early adolescent academy soccer players’ sport confidence needs. Preinterview booklets and individual semi structured interviews were used as multiple sources of qualitative data to identify the types, sources, and debilitating factors of sport confidence in a large sample (n = 28) of players within the youth development phase of the Elite Player Performance Plan. An abductive approach to hierarchical content analysis found 3 types of sport confidence: skill execution, physical factors, and psychological factors. These types were generated from five sources of sport confidence: accomplishments, social support, preparation, vicarious experience, and innate factors. Five confidence-debilitating factors—lack of social support, poor performances, poor preparation, pressure and expectations, and injury/illness—were also identified. Practitioners are advised to widen the sport confidence types experienced by elite adolescent performers and broaden the sources of sport confidence that such performers use to gain belief. Lay summary: This study examined elite academy soccer players’ sport confidence. Players were confident about Skill execution, physical factors and psychological factors. Players gained confidence from accomplishments, social support, preparation, vicarious experience, and innate factors. Players’ confidence was reduced by a lack of social support, poor performances, poor preparation, pressure, expectations, and injury/illness.

Practitioners’ multi-disciplinary perspectives of soccer talent according to phase of development and playing position

The study aimed to establish the perceived importance that academy soccer practitioners placed on technical/tactical, physical, psycho-social player attributes during player selection and explore whether perceptions change according to Elite Player Performance Plan phase. Seventy academy practitioners working within Elite Player Performance Plan programs (Category 1: n = 29; Category 2: n = 13 and Category 3: n = 28) completed an online survey. Psychological factors were rated significantly ( p ≤ 0.01) higher than sociological, technical/tactical, and physical factors, with recruitment staff specifically valuing psychological factors significantly ( p ≤ 0.01) more than medical staff. Youth Development phase practitioners valued sociological factors significantly ( p &lt; 0.05) more than in the Foundation phase, which was also true for physical factors. Practitioners indicated significant positional differences for most physical and technical/tactical attributes. There was no playing position effect for relative age effect or maturity. Between playing position variance of outfield players for most technical and physical attributes increased according to advancing Elite Player Performance Plan phase. Attitudes to holistic talent identification criteria likely change according to practitioner role. Therefore, this study provides evidence to suggest that Elite Player Performance Plan practitioners place less perceived importance on enhanced maturity status and relative age of players but does indicate an enhancing and significant positional preference for physical and technical/tactical attributes. Suggesting that practitioners are less likely to (de)select players based on transient, maturity-related attributes and instead place greater emphasis on specialist physical/technical position-specific attributes as players navigate the Elite Player Performance Plan pathway towards professional status.

Efficacy of using non-linear pedagogy to support attacking players’ individual learning objectives in elite-youth football: A randomised cross-over trial

ABSTRACT The present study examined the efficacy of a coaching curriculum, based on non-linear pedagogy, on improving attacking players’ individual learning objectives (ILOs) in elite-youth football. Participants included 22 attacking players (i.e., centre-forwards, wide-players and attacking midfield players) from a professional football academy in England. The players were randomly appointed to both control (CON) and intervention (INT) periods following baseline measures. The INT (non-linear) and CON (linear) periods were both designed to support the ILOs provided to each player as part of the elite player performance plan. The study adopted a randomised cross-over design and ILOs considered important for attacking players (i.e., strong foot finishing, weak foot finishing, 1-v-1 and decision-making) were evaluated using the Loughborough Shooting Skill Test. The results showed significant differences for INT in 1-v-1 (P< 0.02) and decision-making (P< 0.01). However, there were no significant differences for strong foot finishing, weak foot finishing or time taken. These results support non-linear pedagogy in developing 1-v-1 game play and decision-making but not for technical shooting proficiency.

An Exploration of the Experiences of Elite Youth Footballers: The Impact of Organizational Culture

The present study explored how the organizational cultural experiences of elite youth footballers shaped their identity development and behavior. The first author occupied the position of sport psychology practitioner-researcher within 1 professional football club over 3 years. Traditional ethnographic research methods were employed, including observations, field notes, reflections, and informal interviews. A cultural sport psychology perspective on identity as a social construction and research on the cultural characteristics of professional football were used as frameworks to make sense of the data. Despite the introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012, the traditional masculine culture of professional football dominated the studied club. Creative nonfiction vignettes revealed that youth players were encouraged to develop their self-stories focused on a single-minded dedication to professional football. The limited identity-related resources offered at both club and cultural level are detrimental for players in terms of their well-being and long-term psychological development. From the results of this study, we suggest that future sports psychology practice within professional football may best be delivered at an organizational level. However, for sport psychologists to be effective in this role, they must develop an understanding of the subcultural features and characteristics of the organization. In line with this, there would be great value in introducing a focus on organizational culture within sport psychology professional training and education routes.Lay Summary: This paper explores the impact of the professional football culture on the psychological development of elite youth footballers. From the findings we suggest that sport psychology should be delivered at an organisational level.

The elite player performance plan: the impact of a new national youth development strategy on injury characteristics in a premier league football academy

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to investigate the injury incidence and patterns in elite youth football at a category 1 Premier League Academy before and after the introduction of a new development strategy, the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). A prospective study was performed over six consecutive seasons encompassing three years before and after the introduction of the EPPP. The findings revealed a most likely moderate increase in total exposure per player per season when the post-EPPP football exposure (640.86 ± 83.25 hours per player per year) was compared with the pre-EPPP football exposure (539.08 ± 71.59). The total injury incidence pre-EPPP was 3.0/1000 hours compared to 2.1/1000 hours post-EPPP (rate ratio 1.43). 6% of all injuries were re-injuries (20.24 ± 33.43 days) but did not result in a substantially longer absence (16.56 ± 15.77 days). The injury burden decreased for the U12-U15 from pre- to post-EPPP, whereas the injury burden increased for the U16-U18 (respectively 125 and 47% higher). These findings suggest that following the introduction of the EPPP there has been a reduction in injuries in the younger age groups U12-U15 but in the older age groups U16-U18 there has been an increase in the severity of the injuries sustained at this club.

An audit of injuries in six english professional soccer academies

ABSTRACTRegulations now state that professional academies in the United Kingdom are required to substantially increase the volume of soccer training. This study assessed the current injury occurrence, providing an update to reports published prior to the introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). 608 soccer players aged 11–18 years from six professional soccer clubs were prospectively monitored, recording injuries during the 2014–2015 season. An injury rate of 1.32 injuries per player/season was indicated with a mean time loss of 21.9 days per injury. The greatest time loss per injury was in the U14s-U15s, and the highest rate of severe injuries in the U15s. Strains and sprains were the most common injury type, with the knee and ankle the most frequently injured anatomical sites. Seasonal variation indicated two peaks in injury incidence, occurring in September and January. In comparison to a published audit prior to the inception of the EPPP, this study indicates that academy soccer players are three-times more likely to experience an injury. Given that time loss and injury severity also increased during periods that typically follow rapid growth, these players should be considered an important group for training load monitoring and injury prevention strategies.

Sport, Chaplaincy and Holistic Support: The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) in English Professional Football

A consistent lack of achievement by the England national football team in recent years has led to English football's governing bodies carrying out an overhaul of youth player development. This process was initiated by the Football Association in the late 1990s and eventually led to the English Premier League introducing the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) in 2012, a long-term strategy aimed at producing a greater number of talented ‘home-grown’ young players. The EPPP is designed as a system of ‘holistic support’ to produce not just technically proficient athletes but also good role models who understand the significance of professional football in contemporary culture. This paper comprises a small-scale qualitative study of how one Premier League football club utilized sports chaplaincy as part of its EPPP framework. Placing respondent accounts at the centre of the analysis, the paper seeks to illustrate how chaplaincy provision might enhance holistic support mechanisms within elite sporting organizations. The paper concludes by suggesting that the sports chaplain can play a key role in the non-performance aspects of youth player development which may ultimately benefit team success.

The scientific foundations and associated injury risks of early soccer specialisation

ABSTRACTEarly specialisation is characterised by formal participation in a single sport at the exclusion of others. Limited data are available to support this approach in the development of soccer players who attain elite status later in life. Of growing concern is the associated increased risk of injury and suggestions that single sport specialisation is a risk factor independent of age, growth, biological maturation and training volumes. In the United Kingdom, elite soccer organisations have recently adopted an early sport specialisation approach following the introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan. A key tenet of this programme is increased opportunities for training through a marked rise in the specified on-pitch hours per week. The accumulation of high training hours may be less of a relevant marker for success, and the impact of such a significant increase in training volume for young athletes who are experiencing a range of growth and maturational processes is currently unknown. This critical commentary includes an evidence-based discussion of the effectiveness of early sport specialisation and the potential injury risks associated with such programmes placing a specific focus on elite male youth soccer players. Available data indicate that modifications to the existing Elite Player Performance Plan framework could enhance players’ development and reduce injury risk. Proposed alterations include reduced volume of soccer-specific training at key stages of growth and maturation and guidelines for the provision of a greater variety of physical activities that are integrated within other programme components.