Junior-elite football: time to re-position talent identification?

Abstract

There remains limited understanding of the processes and factors which contribute to young footballers being identified as talented. Talent identification is imperative for the development of future elite performers, though most studies conflate talent identification and talent development. Moreover, within the literature there is a lack of operational or procedural distinction for talent identification, causing issues for those researching and working within applied contexts. This paper sought to clarify issues related to talent identification in junior-elite football, offering a review of the extant literature and proposing future directions for applied research. There are unanswered questions associated with how scouts, recruitment staff, and coaches decide what constitutes talent and the importance placed on particular attributes during that process. We suggest that further research into the ascribed processes, observations and perceptions of those involved in talent identification is needed to provide more sound understanding of the talent identification process in football.

Notes

1. Vamplew, ‘Profits or Premierships?’ 77.

2. Ibid.

3. Platts and Smith, ‘Money, Money, Money?’

4. Williams and Reilly, ‘Talent Identification and Development’.

5. See Larkin and O’Connor, ‘Talent Identification and Recruitment’; and Reeves et al., ‘A Scopign Review’.

6. Brown, ‘Sports Talent’, 3.

7. Howe, Davidson, and Sloboda, ‘Innate Talents’, 399.

8. Gagné, ‘Understanding the Complex’, 67.

9. Baker, Schorer, and Wattie, ‘Compromising Talent’; Sæther, ‘Identification of Talent’; and Vaeyens et al., ‘Talent Identification and Promotion’.

10. Johansson and Fahlén, ‘Simply the Best’.

11. Clarke and Harwood, ‘Parenting Experiences’.

12. Whitehouse, ‘The Way Forward’.

13. Côté, ‘The Influence of the Family’.

14. Malina, ‘Early Sport Specialization’; Jayanthi et al., ‘Sports Specialization’; and Wojtys, ‘Sports Specialization vs Diversification’.

15. Baker, Schorer and Wattie, ‘Compromising Talent’; and Barreiros, Côté, and Fonseca, ‘Training and Psychosocial Patterns’.

16. Dickson and Malaia, ‘Globalisation and Professional Sport’, 116–7.

17. Premier League, ‘Elite Player Performance Plan’, 102.

18. Nesti and Sulley, ‘Youth Development in Football’; and Whitehouse, ‘The Way Forward’.

19. Carling et al., ‘Do Anthropometric and Fitness Characteristics’; and Reilly et al., ‘A Multidisciplinary Approach’.

20. Reilly, Bangsbo, and Franks, ‘Anthropometric and Physiological Predispositions’; Vaeyens et al., ‘The Effects of Task’; and Williams and Reilly, ‘Talent Identification and Development’.

21. Radoman and Voia, ‘Youth Training Programs’; and Williams and Reilly, ‘Talent Identification and Development’.

22. Balyi and Hamilton, ‘Long-term Athlete Development’.

23. See Bailey and Collins, ‘The Standard Model’; and Bailey and Collins, ‘The Problem with the Pyramid’.

24. Vaeyens et al., ‘The Effects of Task’; and Baker, Schorer, and Wattie, ‘Compromising Talent’.

25. Littlewood, Mullen, and Richardson, ‘Football Labour Migration’; and Relvas et al., ‘Organizational Structures’.

26. Robinson et al., ‘Talent Identification in Sport’.

27. Johansson and Fahlén, ‘Simply the Best’.

28. See Myer et al., ‘Sports Specialization’.

29. Miller, Cronin, and Baker, ‘Nature, Nurture’.

30. Reeves et al., ‘A Scoping Review’.

31. Rees et al., ‘The Great British Medalists’; and Swann, Moran, and Piggot, ‘Defining Elite Athletes’.

32. Rees et al., ‘The Great British Medalists’, 1042.

33. Swann, Moran, and Piggot, ‘Defining Elite Athletes’.

34. Nesti and Sulley, ‘Youth Development in Football’; and Williams and Reilly, ‘Talent Identification and Development’.

35. Larkin and O’Connor, ‘Talent Identification and Recruitment’.

36. Gil et al., ‘Talent Identification and Selection’; and Johansson and Fahlén, ‘Simply the Best’.

37. Williams and Franks, ‘Talent Identification in Soccer’; and Williams and Reilly, ‘Talent Identification and Development’.

38. Williams and Reilly, ‘Talent Identification and Development’.

39. Gil et al., ‘Talent Identification and Selection’.

40. Coelho e Silva et al., ‘Discrimination of U-14 Soccer’; Deprez et al., ‘Characteristics of High-level’; Gonaus and Muller, ‘Using Physiological Data’; le Gall et al., ‘Anthropometric and Fitness Characteristics’; Rebelo et al., ‘Anthropometric Characteristics, Physical Fitness’; and Vaeyens et al., ‘A Multidisciplinary Selection Model’.

41. Ali et al., ‘Reliability and Validity’; Coelho e Silva et al., ‘Discrimination of U-14 Soccer’; Figueiredo et al., ‘Characteristics of Youth Soccer’; Le Moal et al., ‘Validation of the Loughborough’; Höner and Votteler, ‘Prognostic Relevance of Motor Talent’; Malina et al., ‘Characteristics of Youth Soccer’; Russell, Benton and Kingsley, ‘Reliability and Construct Validity’; and Vaeyens et al., ‘A Multidisciplinary Model’.

42. O’Connor, Larkin and Williams, ‘Talent Identification and Selection’; Reilly et al., ‘A Multidisciplinary Approach’; Vaeyens et al., ‘The Effects of Task’; Ward, Ericsson, and Williams, ‘Complex Perceptual-Cognitive Expertise’; Ward and Williams, ‘Perceptual and Cognitive Skill’; and Williams et al., ‘Perceiving Patterns of Play’.

43. Ford et al., ‘The Role of Deliberate’; Ford and Williams, ‘The Developmental Activities Engaged’; Haugaasen, Toering, and Jordet, ‘From Childhood to Senior’; Hornig, Aust and Güllich, ‘Practice and Play’; Ward, Ericsson, and Williams, ‘Complex Perceptual-Cognitive Expertise’; Ward et al., ‘The Road to Excellence’; and Zibung and Conzelmann, ‘The Role of Specialisation’.

44. Baker, Schorer and Wattie, ‘Compromising Talent’; and Barreiros, Côté and Fonseca, ‘Training and Psychosocial Patterns’.

45. Höner and Feichtinger, ‘Psychological Talent Predictors’; Höner and Votteler, ‘Prognostic Relevance of Motor Talent’; and Höner, Leyhr, and Kelava, ‘The Influence of Speed’.

46. Höner and Feichtinger, ‘Psychological Talent Predictors’.

47. See note 45 above.

48. Höner, Leyhr, and Kelava, ‘The Influence of Speed’.

49. For example: Ford and Williams, ‘The Developmental Activities Engaged’; Gil et al., ‘Talent Identification and Selection’; Höner and Votteler, ‘Prognostic Relevance of Motor Talent’; and O’Connor, Larkin, and Williams, ‘Talent Identification and Selection’.

50. See note 49 above.

51. Christensen, ‘An Eye for Talent’; and Larkin and O’Connor, ‘Talent Identification and Recruitment’.

52. Christensen, ‘An Eye for Talent’.

53. Larkin and O’Connor, ‘Talent Identification and Recruitment’.

54. Coelho e Silva et al., ‘Discrimination of U-14 Soccer’; Deprez et al., ‘Characteristics of High-level’; Gonaus and Muller, ‘Using Physiological Data’; le Gall et al., ‘Anthropometric and Fitness Characteristics’; Rebelo et al., ‘Anthropometric Characteristics, Physical Fitness’; and Vaeyens et al., ‘A Multidisciplinary Selection Model’.

55. See note 52 above.

56. Williams and Franks, ‘Talent Identification in Soccer’; and Williams and Reillly, ‘Talent Identification and Development’.

57. Larkin and O’Connor, ‘Talent Identification and Recruitment’; and O’Connor, Larkin and Williams, ‘Talent Identification and Selection’.

58. Larkin and O’Connor, ‘Talent Identification and Recruitment’.

59. See Mann and van Ginneken, ‘Age-ordered Shirt Numbering’.

60. Baker, Schorer and Wattie, ‘Compromising Talent’.