Talent development in youth football

2019 ◽  
pp. 283-296
Author(s):  
Jürgen Beckmann ◽  
Denise Beckmann-Waldenmayer
2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Krogh Christensen ◽  
Michael Sorgenfri Pedersen ◽  
Christian Stilling Mortensen

Med udgangspunkt i en kvantitativ undersøgelse af fodboldspilleres vej mod toppen diskuterer artiklen tendenser i dansk elitefodbolds talentudvikling. Der kigges nærmer på den relative alderseffekt blandt spillerne og på den evolutionære og strategiske udviklingstankegangen. Mette Krogh Christensen: Young Football Talents’ Ways to the Top – Evolutionary or Strategic Talent Development? During the next four years the Danish government intends to spend 40 million Dkr. on talent development within Danish top-level sport. Like many other countries Denmark has chosen to use many resources on talent development in top-level sport expecting that the investment will »strengthen the exposure and increase the knowledge of Denmark« (The Danish Ministry of Culture, 2007). For that reason questions concerning how talent development in Denmark is managed and which modes of thought form the basis of talent development in top-level sport are highly topical. In this paper we will explore two modes of thought in Danish top-level football talent development: an evolutionary and a strategic mode of thought. An evolutionary mode of thought about talent development is characterized by giving a high priority to broad groups of talents as long as possible. The idea is that young football talents have the opportunity to develop in their own pace, to move in their well-known environments and to find their own peak compe186 tence (or qualification) after which experienced coaches select the footballers that they find appropriate. A strategic mode of thought about talent development is concerned with selecting and thinning out the broad group of talent at a much earlier stage. The selection is carried out on the basis of precise and distinct criteria and principles with the purpose of narrowing down the number of talents to a strategically selected group who are then given optimal conditions of development. The paper presents a retrospective, quantitative cohort study of 635 Danish youth football talents’ ways to the top (i.e. the national teams) from 1991-2006. The results showed among other things that relatively few talents from U/16 and U/17 national teams make their debut on the All-Denmark team, and that there is a massive flow of talents on the U/17 and U/18 national teams, which indicates an evolutionary mode of thought among the youth national team coaches. The results also showed a relative age effect among the younger talents, which might indicate a strategic mode of thought based on maturation as a performance determinant. On the background of the results from the study a pivotal dilemma in the investment in talent development in top-level sport is discussed: the dilemma between evolutionary and strategic talent development.


2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  

The process by which young talents develop to become top-class players once they reach the age of maximum performance is influenced by numerous factors. Among the exogenous factors, the family plays a central role. In the context of a research project carried out in cooperation with the Swiss Football Association SFV, 159 former members of the national youth football team were interviewed retrospectively, among other things concerning their family circumstances. The study is interested in understanding two issues: 1) It examines which family conditions – compared with average Swiss families – lead to success in adolescence (nomination for a national youth team). 2) Since success in adolescence by no means guarantees top-level performance at the age of maximum performance, the heterogeneity of the sample’s adult level of performance is used to compare players who later achieve greater success to the less successful players. It is found that these players come from families with many chil-dren and a strong affinity to sports. Those players who are particularly successful at the age of maximum performance also felt they received more support from their parents and siblings during childhood and adolescence than the players who went on to be less successful.


This is an interview with Dr Wilma Vialle, Ph.D, Professor in Educational Psychology and Gifted Education in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Dr Vialle is the author of several books, articles, and chapters on gifted education and child psychology. Her research interests are centred on giftedness and talent development and she is predominantly interested in issues concerning social justice. Recent research projects include an international study of effective teachers of the gifted, a longitudinal study of adolescent academic and social emotional outcomes, the development of expertise in competitive Scrabble players, popular culture and giftedness, and the development of spiritual understanding in children. Dr Vialle is the chief editor of the journal Talent Development and Excellence and is on the editorial board of several international journals. She is also on the Executive Board of the International Research Association for Talent Development and Excellence (IRATDE). In 2006, Dr Vialle was awarded the Eminent Australian award by the Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented (AAEGT) for her contributions to gifted education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 220
Author(s):  
David Yun Dai ◽  
Xian (Stella) Li

This study looks at the educational experiences, from the preschool years to advanced professional training in STEM fields, of a targeted sample of 10 (7 male, 3 female) early college entrants in China who later became professors at prestigious USA research universities. The purpose of the study was to find out (1) what some identifiable endogenous factors were about these individuals that facilitated the success of their accelerated learning and development; (2) what kinds of exogenous factors (e.g., environmental opportunities, resources, support) they experienced from childhood to adulthood that enhanced the successful acceleration experience; and (3) how these endogenous and exogenous factors facilitated their developmental transitions every step of the way, especially from the role of a student to that of an aspiring scientist. These questions are addressed in light of evolving complexity theory. Retrospective interviews were used for data collection. Thematic analysis of the codes from interview data yielded a conceptual map. A distinct set of endogenous and exogenous factors at different developmental junctures were identified, and their dynamic interplay was delineated to account for accelerated trajectories toward a scientific research career. The theoretical significance and practical implications of the study for talent development in science are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Lindblom ◽  
Markus Waldén ◽  
Martin Hägglund

Abstract Background Increased performance from injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) may affect injury risks positively and support the implementation of IPEPs. The primary aim was to study the performance effects of injury prevention exercises from two different IPEPs, the Knee Control IPEP and the further developed Knee Control+ IPEP, in youth male football players, and the secondary aim was to compare potential differences in performance effects between the IPEPs. Methods Four male youth football teams were tested for agility, hop and sprint performance at the start of the second half of the competitive season and after the end of the 8-week season. Per randomisation, two teams used Knee Control and two teams Knee Control+. Results In total, 47 players executed a median of 13 IPEP sessions (range 11–21 sessions). No improvements in performance were seen in the group as a whole. The intervention groups showed small declines in sprint and agility performance. There was a significant between-group difference in change for the 505 agility test, with improved performance in the Knee Control and worse performance in the Knee Control+ group, ΔKC vs KC+ = − 0.012 (95% CI − 0.19 to −0.04), d = 0.98. Conclusions No clinically meaningful performance effects were seen from the Knee Control or Knee Control+ IPEP in youth male athletes and no meaningful differences were seen between Knee Control and Knee Control+ regarding effects on performance tests. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03251404. Registered on 16 August 2017.


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