Professional Youth Research Articles

Nurturing holistic talent, addressing systemic inequity: Canadian coaches’ insights on optimizing youth soccer talent identification and development

Evidence suggests that youth talent identification and development systems (TIDS) are lacking in quality due to various complex and multifaceted factors specific to youth players. Given the importance of consistently identifying and developing high-achieving players, soccer organizations and coaches rely heavily on effective and productive youth TIDS. This study explored the perspectives of youth coaches in Canada to: (1) enhance the capacity of youth soccer organizations and coaches to make informed decisions about TIDS, (2) maximize the advancement of youth players, (3) identify approaches, practices, and priorities for developing youth players to compete at higher levels. Using a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 National Licensed coaches from professional youth academy or Canada's Youth National Teams. A thematic analysis identified three central themes: (1) Views on TIDS are specific to organizations and coaches, (2) More inclusive and sustainable TIDS are necessary for success, and (3) Exposure to holistic talent development environments is essential. The findings emphasized informed decisions to establish coherent, effective, and player-centered systems through professionalized organizations and coaches, a collective philosophy with clear standards, and prioritization of players’ needs. Inclusive environments increase access to opportunities and resources that motivate players with diverse backgrounds and talents, supporting longterm engagement. An equity-based lens expands the player pool through equitable and sustainable opportunities for all players. A holistic approach to promoting psychosocial well-being and personal development is necessary for meaningful experiences within TIDS. Flexible, differentiated, and empowering approaches are needed for playercentered pathways that meet players’ evolving needs.

Media parenting in a pandemic: Understanding U.S. Parents’ motivations for parental mediation during the COVID-19 lockdown

ABSTRACT Little is known about how parents utilized parental mediation strategies during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw an upsurge in youths’ technology use and increased family time at home. The current study surveyed the parents of 964 U.S. school-aged children for their mediation behaviors, perceptions of media risk, views about youth media use, and awareness of and reliance upon professional youth media guidelines to identify key factors influencing the use of media parenting strategies (i.e. parental mediation) during the lockdown (March – May 2020). Structural equation modeling revealed that parents’ use of professional media use guidelines and their perceived changes in media views during the lockdown were positively related to their use of active mediation, restrictive mediation, and coviewing. Further, perceptions of media risk were associated with restrictive mediation, but not other mediation types, and single parents were less likely to engage in active and restrictive mediation than parents with a partner.

“We are on the outside but it’s okay”: A grounded theory of cooperation between parents, coaches, and administrators in professional youth soccer academies

ObjectiveParents need to cooperate with professional organizations to support their children’s development and health. In sports, knowledge on how parents, coaches, and organizations can successfully coordinate their behavior and work together for a common cause is lacking. This study was designed to identify a grounded theory of cooperation as a social process between parents and organizational stakeholders in youth soccer academies. Design and methodIntensive interviews were conducted with parents (n = 9), coaches (n = 11), and administrators (n = 14) across 14 youth soccer academies in Germany. Data were analyzed using initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical integration following constructivist grounded theory methodology. Results and conclusionThe grounded theory produced comprises several processes aimed at building, maintaining, and reinforcing effective cooperation between parents, coaches, and administrators. Acknowledging parents as part of the academy, providing a thorough onboarding, and defining parental roles are essential for cooperation to evolve. Cooperation was viewed as a responsive, dynamic, and iterative process impacted by person and context factors. Findings are interpreted through a systems lens highlighting nuanced dependencies between cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns. The grounded theory provides implications for future research targeting the intersection of persons and contexts in youth sport. For practitioners, we propose an evidence-based program on developing cooperation.

Professional youth workers’ views on involuntary loneliness and its alleviation among adolescents and young adults

ABSTRACT There is scant research on professional youth workers’ perspectives on adolescents and young adults’ involuntary loneliness, although they can support young people’s well-being. The aim was to explore professional youth workers’ views on involuntary loneliness and its alleviation among adolescents and young adults (ages 18–29). A qualitative exploratory design, three focus group interviews and one individual interview, a total of fifteen professional youth workers. Three main categories (Characteristic features of involuntary loneliness among adolescents and young adults, Risk factors for involuntary loneliness among adolescents and young adults, Strategies for alleviating or reducing involuntary loneliness among adolescents and young adults) and fourteen subcategories emerged. Involuntary loneliness has changed and often exists alongside other mental health issues. Several risk factors exist but even different strategies whereby it can be reduced or alleviated. Exploration of which strategies effectively target involuntary loneliness among adolescents and young adults should be undertaken in future research.

Racialisation and the inequitable experiences of racialised minority coaches in men's professional football club youth academies in England

Racialisation and the inequitable experiences of racialised minority coaches in men's professional football club youth academies in England

Initial Professional Education for Youth and Community Workers: Exploring Academic’s Experiences

AbstractThis paper reflects on a small-scale piece of research into the experience of academics involved in the initial professional education of youth and community workers in England during the period 2015–2016, when multiple factors were affecting degree-qualifying youth and community worker education. Interviews with six academics identify the influences of funding issues, changing contexts for fieldwork settings, varied perceptions of professional youth work to ongoing pressures within higher education which inform their experience. This research draws on Bourdieu’s thinking tools of habitus and illusio as a theoretical lens to explore academics’ ongoing commitment to professional youth and community worker education. The actions and messages from the research participants offer an insight into the varied situations academics are navigating at this point in time, and resonate with a contemporary, post-pandemic context. The paper concludes with areas for further research into the ongoing development of initial professional youth and community worker education.

Exploring the behavioral indicators of resilience in professional academy youth soccer

The capacity to demonstrate resilience is important for performance and development outcomes in youth soccer. A key feature of resilience is the demonstration of positive behavioral responses to pressures or setbacks, yet little research exists on the specific behaviors that characterize resilience in the youth soccer literature. This study aimed to explore the behavioral indicators of resilience through focus groups and interviews with 60 participants from six professional soccer academies and one National Soccer Governing Body. The data was collected in two phases, the first involved a discussion of the observable behaviors associated with resilience in youth soccer. In the second phase, participants reflected on examples of resilience behaviors alongside video clips. These acted as a stimulus to contextualize the behaviors arising from the first phase. Content analysis was used to analyze the data and 36 behaviors were identified across six themes: (a) teammate support-focused (e.g., verbal support following mistakes), (b) emotion-focused (e.g., displaying emotional regulation), (c) effort-focused (e.g., physical efforts to overcome challenge), (d) rebound (e.g., positive reactions to a mistake), (e) robust (e.g., showing composure when under pressure), and (f) learning-focused (e.g., willingness to accept feedback). The results offer an insight into a multifaceted range of resilience behaviors in the context of youth soccer. With this knowledge, practitioners can make informed decisions around player development by assessing specific behavioral metrics related to resilience, players can engage in structured self-reflection practices pertaining to resilience development, and researchers can work toward the development of validated observational tools for resilience assessment.

“Making It Remarkable”: Teaching Professional Youth Work Values in a UK Higher Education Institution

This paper reports on the findings of a study exploring the role of values in professional qualifying courses taught at a Scottish University. The study aimed to enhance understanding of the way in which these courses draw on values-based pedagogy to incorporate professional values laid out in formal standards by external professional bodies. The paper reports on the findings relating specifically to values teaching on a professionally qualifying youth work programme, drawing on contributions uploaded to an online survey by students and lecturers engaged with the programme. It explores the themes to emerge from the survey data, including the centrality of values in practice and teaching; how these align with students’ personal values and are shaped by wider societal influences; lecturers’ pedagogical approaches; and the importance of supervised placements and dialogue between students, their supervisors, and lecturers in building their understanding and helping them to navigate the complexities of enacting values-based practice. The study concludes that youth worker education programmes, in which professional values are thoroughly embedded, offer the potential to deliver a transformative educative experience to students, and to potentially disrupt the reductionist values systems that have permeated the neo-liberal university.

Relational Complexity of the Near-Age Peer Support Provider Role in Youth and Young Adult Community Mental Health Settings.

Increasingly, US community mental health settings are integrating professional near-age youth peer support providers to improve youth service engagement and outcomes. Youth peer specialists (YPS) use their lived and living experiences with a mental health diagnosis to validate, empathize, and provide individualized support, while also improving their program's overall responsiveness to young people's needs. Although promising, these roles tend to lack clarity-responsibilities vary immensely, and turnover is high. Examining near-age youth peer on-the-job experiences is needed to design effective on-the-job supports. Using community-based participatory action research methods, young adults with lived experience worked in partnership with a PhD-level qualitative researcher to design, recruit, conduct, and analyze in-depth-interviews with current and former near-age youth peer providers. Ten young adult peer mentors in Massachusetts completed interviews that revealed near-age youth peer role relational complexity. Five relational aspects were identified requiring relational practice skills and self-awareness, including relationships with (1) self, (2) clients, (3) supervisors, (4) non-peer colleagues, and (5) other near-age peer providers. Near-age peers experience relationship-related struggles with non-peer identified colleagues who do not understand nor value the near-age peer role. Findings expand on current near-age peer practice and associated on-the-job challenges. Training, supervision, and professional development activities that target these five relational areas may improve YPS on-the-job wellbeing, decrease YPS turnover, and improve youth client outcomes.

Using a coproduced educational workshop to change the focus of verbal instructions delivered by professional youth soccer coaches: a case study

ABSTRACT Background The predominant instructional method utilised by soccer coaches are verbal instructions that occur whilst (during) players are executing soccer-skill. However, little is known on the specificity of the information contained within. These verbal instructions can guide the learner to either the performance characteristics of a movement (internal focus) or the intended movement effects (external), with the latter known to facilitate superior motor performance, retention, and transfer. Purpose The aims in the present study were to quantify the focus of concurrent verbal instructions utilised by professional youth soccer coaches during drill-based (i.e. isolated) practice activities, and to modulate how these instructions are delivered in coaching sessions following the engagement in a coproduced evidence-based educational workshop. Method Systematic observation was used pre and post the workshop to quantify the nature of verbal instructions delivered by 5 male coaches (31–47 years of age with 4–24 years of coaching experience) across 34 sessions with players from 8 to 13 years of age. For instructions provided during (concurrent) action-execution, we further quantified whether these instructions were focused on motor performance characteristics (internal) or the intended movement outcome effects (external) using criteria outlined in the revised Arizona State University Observation Instrument. To facilitate behaviour change, all coaches engaged in an educational workshop led by skill acquisition specialists (SAS). The workshop was designed so that educational material related to the principles of skill acquisition, and motor control and learning, were presented using a pedagogical delivery method containing verbal information, data presented in illustrations, and videos. In addition, the results that quantified coaching behaviour during the pre-workshop systematic observation period were presented to coaches as quantitative feedback. To guide the coaches to appraise the quantitative feedback in relation to the delivered educational material, the SAS built an educational environment that encouraged discussion opportunities for coaches to compare and appraise feedback with other coaches and process the feedback in relation to data and concepts regarding skill acquisition. Results and findings The pre-workshop systematic observation data indicated that coaches delivered significantly more (64%) verbal instructions whilst (concurrently) players were executing motor skills, compared to before (15%) or after (21%). Within concurrent feedback, coaches used instructions that had a more internal, compared to external focus of attention. Post-workshop data indicated the coaches significantly changed the utilisation of instructions using a greater proportion of external focus. The data confirms coaches deliver a greater proportion of concurrent verbal instructions during coaching sessions focused training drill-based activities, but engaging in an educational workshop coaches modulated the focus of these instructions from internal to external, indicating behaviour change and an opportunity to facilitate skill acquisition in soccer academy players.

Ethical Practice in Professional Youth Work: Perspectives from Four Countries

ABSTRACT Ethical youth work is ‘good' youth work but how do youth work practitioners collectively determine what is ‘good'? This article presents findings from four-country surveys of youth workers' attitudes and understandings of what constitutes ‘good', that is to say ‘ethical’ practice. The article presents the principles that youth workers say underpin ethical practice in Australia, Estonia, Iceland, and Ireland. The first three countries have well established Codes of Ethics and/or Practice and Professional Associations, while Ireland does not. A survey of youth work practitioners funded by Erasmus Plus, was conducted across the four countries (n = 405). A comparative analysis of data across countries revealed consensus around key characteristics of youth work practice such as the participation, empowerment, and safety of young people. These core principles form the basis of good and ethical action by practitioners. In countries which have codified these principles, these Codes were reported to be useful tools to support practitioners in their work. The survey further suggests that reflective practice is important in the application of ethical codes to concrete practice situations acting as a form of collective accountability and praxis. To conclude, we consider the implications of these findings for professionalism, and professionalisation in youth work nationally and internationally.

Talking about relational youth work: why language matters

ABSTRACT The literature on youth work emphasises the importance of ‘relationship’ to good practice, moreover, the characteristics of the youth-work relationship have been posited as a defining feature of youth work in the British-influenced tradition. Despite this, little attention is paid to the choice of language used to describe how professional youth workers relate to young people, or how language choices reflect political framing of youth work and of power relationships within their practice. Language choice has implications for how youth workers perceive their professional identity, for how accountability is construed, and for inter-professional working. In this article we undertake a thematic analysis to identify, analyse and critique various language options, drawing on international literature, with an application focus on Irish and Australian contexts. We address the question, ‘what language choices offer most precision and clarity about youth work professional relationships in different contexts?’ We identify three main ways the relationship between youth workers and young people has been framed: as collaboration; as transaction; or, as rights-based entitlement. We conclude with discussion of how different relational language choices in youth work should be selected to be congruent with the youth work context, power relationships and purposes.

Examining the association between speed and myoelectric activity: Time-based differences and muscle group balance.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between speed and myoelectric activity, measured during an incremental 25m shuttle running test, exploring the time-based variations and assessing muscle group balance within the context of this association. Twelve male young soccer players (n = 12) aged 18±1.2 years, with an average body mass of 68.4±5.8kg and average body height of 1.72±0.08m, from a professional Italian youth team (Italian "Primavera"), volunteered as participants for this study. The speed of each player during testing was measured using GPS technology, sampling at 50Hz. Myoelectrical activities of the gluteus, hamstrings, and quadriceps muscles were recorded through wearable sEMG devices, sampled at 100Hz. To ensure alignment of the sampling frequencies, the sEMG data was resampled to 50Hz, matching the GPS data sampling rate. This allowed for direct comparison and analysis of the data obtained from both measurement systems. The collected data were then analyzed to determine the relationship between the investigated variables and any potential differences associated with different sides of the body. The results revealed a robust correlation (r2≈0.97) between the speed of the participants (m·s-1) and their myoelectrical activity (μV) during the test. Factorial ANOVA 2x11 showed no significant differences between the sides of the analyzed muscles (p>0.05). The interpolation lines generated by the association of speed and sEMG exhibit very similar angular coefficients (0.9 to 0.12) in all six measurements obtained from electromyography of the three investigated muscle groups on each side of the body. In conclusion, the concurrent validity between the two instruments in this study indicates that GPS and sEMG are valid and consistent in estimating external load and internal load during incremental shuttle running.

The Quantification of Physical Performance and Internal Training Load in Youth Male Soccer Players During Preseason.

The monitoring of training loads and quantification of physical performance are common practices in youth soccer academies to support coaches in prescribing and programming training for individuals. The interaction between training load and physical performance is unknown during a preseason period in youth soccer players. The current study assessed changes in training load and physical assessments across a 4-week preseason period. The relationship between physical performance and match playing time in youth male soccer players was also investigated. The training loads of 25 professional youth academy male soccer players were monitored throughout a 4-week preseason period. Assessments of power, agility, speed, and aerobic capacity were undertaken in the first training session. Session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE) and well-being questionnaires were collected during all training sessions and preseason matches. Playing time during subsequent competitive matches was recorded. T test and 30-m-sprint assessments, conducted on the first day of preseason, were predictors of sRPE throughout preseason (t test χ2/df = 2.895, poor adjustment; 30-m sprint χ2/df = 1.608, good adjustment). YoYo Test performance was related with changes in perceived fatigue (χ2/df = 0.534, very good adjustment). Faster players reported higher values of sRPE, and players with higher aerobic capacity reported higher levels of fatigue across preseason. Well-being, perceived fatigue and soreness, and sRPE decreased across preseason. Greater match durations were related to higher levels of fatigue during preseason (P < .05). The current study highlights the relationship between training load, physical assessments, and playing time. Coaches and practitioners can use physical test data at the start of preseason as an indication of players that report higher sRPE, perceived fatigue, and reduced well-being across preseason, supporting decisions around individualized training prescriptions.

Coaching strategies to develop desired psychological attributes within academy soccer players

The mentality of youth soccer players is one of the most important contributors toward their success within the game. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the attributes that might be most important in this context, and limited knowledge to support coaches in developing the desired psychological attributes in players. To address this, we conducted a two-phased study. First, we explored coaches’ perceptions of the psychological attributes that give players the best opportunity to progress through academies and into professional soccer (phase one). Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) of semi-structured interviews with nine senior academy coaches led to the development of eight psychological attributes: commitment to develop; coping with demands; self-awareness and reflection; emotional control; confidence; drive to achieve goals; work ethic; and resilience. Second, we aimed to identify coaching strategies that support the development of these eight psychological attributes (phase two). Semi-structured interviews with 12 academy soccer coaches, followed by RTA, led to the construction of 55 coaching strategies alongside adaptive player behaviors that indicate the successful development of each attribute. Our findings advance current understanding of the psychological attributes that can support youth athletes’ progression into professional soccer. Moreover, we provide support for the coach-practitioner by offering conceptual and practical insights into the coaching strategies and behavioral indicators that can facilitate coaches’ endeavors to develop the psychological performance of players. In doing so, our findings may act as a framework to remove previously reported barriers to coaches addressing the psychological development of athletes through their coaching practice. Lay summary: We explored the psychological attributes that facilitate youth soccer players’ performance and progression through academies and into the professional game, and the coaching strategies that support the development of each attribute. Professional youth soccer coaches identified eight attributes, 55 developmental coaching strategies, and the behavioral indicators associated with each attribute.

The Kneeling Isometric Plantar Flexor Test: Preliminary Reliability and Feasibility in Professional Youth Football.

Calf injuries are common in professional football; thus, the establishment of reliable and time-efficient methods of measuring the peak force capabilities of the plantar flexors with equipment that is accessible to football practitioners is valuable. In this study, we determined the preliminary reliability and feasibility of a new test, termed the kneeling isometric plantar flexion test (KIPFT), for footballers. Twenty-one male youth footballers (age = 17.8 ± 1.1 years, height = 182 ± 5 cm, weight = 77.6 ± 5.9 kg) from English League One football clubs completed three trials of the KIPFT on a wireless force plate at the end (2022-2023) and start (2023-2024) of the season. The within-session reliability of the peak force (relative to body weight) was good-excellent for both limbs and both occasions. On average, performance of the KIPFT took just over 1 min per limb and ~2 min to set up. The peak force values were larger for the non-dominant limbs only at the start versus the end of the season, but there were no between-limb differences. From these results, it was determined that (1) the KIPFT is feasible, (2) a minimum of 32 footballers would be required to establish its between-session reliability with ≥80% statistical power and (3) large-cohort normative data for the KIPFT may be best collected at the start of the football season.

An early start at a professional soccer academy is no prerequisite for world cup soccer participation

Introduction829 players from 32 nations on five continents participated in the 2022 men's World Cup tournament in Qatar. Not much is known about the youth careers of World Cup players from all over the world, especially about the age at which they began playing youth soccer in a professional academy. This study aimed to provide insights in the age national team players participating in World Cup Qatar 2022 started playing for a professional soccer academy and whether their starting age relates to continent and their current playing position (i.e., goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards).MethodSystematic online desk research was conducted to determine the age at which World Cup players started playing for professional youth soccer organizations. The median and interquartile ranges were expressed for the starting age in professional youth soccer organizations and the current age at the World Cup. The variables were compared with playing position, the continent of the player's World Cup nation, and the continent on which the player was raised.ResultsThe results reveal that World Cup Qatar 2022 players started playing for professional soccer academies at a median age of 13.2 years (range: 4.2–22.6). In Europe, players started playing for professional youth soccer organizations earlier than players on other continents [χ2 (4) = 142.0, p &amp;lt; 0.001]. We also found a younger starting age in forwards than goalkeepers (p &amp;lt; 0.05).DiscussionIn most established soccer nations in Europe and South-America, World Cup players started playing for professional soccer academies before the age of 12. However, a significant number of players started later, especially players on other continents, which reveals the different pathways youth players can follow to the elites.

Research on the Development of the Chinese Basketball Industry

Professional basketball and the youth basketball development system are two main fields for improving the situation of Chinese basketball. By comparing the Basketball Professional League and youth basketball development systems between China and the United States, we discovered that the Chinese basketball system needs to be combined with education, the Chinese training model is outdated and incomplete, and the nationwide system has hampered the development of professional and youth basketball. Moreover, we found that China has a large number of basketball fans; national policies can help the development of the basketball industry; and China has rapid economic development. Eventually, Chinese basketball needs to focus on combining sports and education, absorbing advanced training systems, and establishing a sound management system.

Youth Services

The ALISE Youth Services Special Interest Group (SIG) presents a panel exploring ways youth services in libraries empower youth and families and builds resilience to respond to crises and social issues. The session will begin with presentations of papers (15 minutes each) with a question and answer portion to conclude. Attendees will be able to share their own experiences and work in progress on these topics in the discussion. The presentations include research from Cahill et al., Kociubuk &amp; Willett, Matthews, and Naidoo &amp; Mahand. &#x0D; In their presentation “You may be at your home and I'm at mine. But we are in this together”: Children’s librarians’ motivations for virtual storytime programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cahill et al. discuss findings from an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) nationwide survey focused on public library virtual storytime programming. This study examines the motivating factors influencing librarians’ decisions whether to adopt virtual storytime programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary findings suggest that children’s librarians acted quickly and of their own volition to provide virtual storytime programming to children and families. The top three motivating factors were to (a) maintain a connection with patrons, (b) support children’s early learning, and (c) reduce children’s feelings of isolation. &#x0D; Kociubuk &amp; Willett’s presentation Parents’ and Caregivers’ perceptions of the value of public libraries during the pandemic shares an analysis of interviews with 26 caregivers about their use and perceived value of resources provided by public libraries during the pandemic, focusing on the provision of resources, the role of libraries in communities, and promotion of social capital. The authors will discuss how their findings have the potential to inform future decision-making processes concerning resource provision, particularly during times of crisis.&#x0D; Matthews’ presentation The Forgotten Ones: Anti-Black Racism, Public Libraries, and Black Youth in Canada shares how anti-Black racism has far-reaching and long-lasting impacts on Canadian Black youth. Her presentation identifies how these tensions impact library services and how libraries can better address structural barriers. Matthews’ study, grounded in Critical Race Theory and anti-racism frameworks examines how current approaches to library service may perpetuate systemic racism. Community-based research is also in this study to work with Black youth and community organizations to envision new service trajectories for public libraries. &#x0D; Naidoo &amp; Mahand’s presentation From the LIS Classroom to the Stacks: Examining Social Justice Education in Practice for Youth Library Professionals, spotlights the transition youth library professionals make when moving from an LIS student to a working professional. Professional youth services competencies created by ALSC, YALSA, and ILFA provide suggestions on particular skill sets needed for successful youth librarians as they bridge the gap between theory and practice. This presentation will discuss a case study of a racist incident that occurred during a conversation about Black stereotypes in children’s literature. &#x0D; Youth services can nurture youth, community, and inclusion and mitigate crisis and social issues. These presentations and attendee discussion will explore the ways that the LIS field can work to address these urgent community needs.

Applicability Of Existing Age-predicted Maximal Heart Rate Equations In Professional Youth Soccer Players.

Applicability Of Existing Age-predicted Maximal Heart Rate Equations In Professional Youth Soccer Players.