Childhood football play and practice in relation to self-regulation and national team selection; a study of Norwegian elite youth players

Abstract

Childhood sport participation is argued to be important to understand differences in self-regulation and performance level in adolescence. This study sought to investigate if football-specific activities in childhood (6-12 years of age) is related to self-regulatory skills and national under 14- and 15-team selection in Norwegian elite youth football. Data of practice histories and self-regulatory skills of 515 youth football players selected at Norwegian regional level were collected and further analysed using multilevel analyses. The results revealed that high self-regulated players were more likely to be selected for national initiatives, and increased their involvement in peer-led football practice and adult-led football practice during childhood, compared to players with lower levels of self-regulation. While national level players reported higher levels of peer-led football play in childhood, the interaction effect suggest that the regional level players increased their involvement in peer-led play during childhood compared to national level players. In conclusion, the findings indicate that childhood sport participation may contribute to later differences in self-regulation, and highlights the importance of childhood engagement in football-specific play and practice in the development of Norwegian youth football players.

Social Support, Self-Regulation, and Psychological Skill Use in E-Athletes

“…Jonker et al (2011) reported that participants with greater selfreported self-regulation scores were likely to be more successful in both academia and elite sports. Other studies have provided further support for this finding, showing that highly selfregulated traditional athletes were more likely to be selected for national level teams in football (Erikstad et al, 2018). Selfregulation skills-such as planning, goal setting, self-monitoring, and reflection-have been described as regular practices used by athletes (Pilgrim et al, 2018).…”

“As Many as Possible for as Long as Possible”—A Case Study of a Soccer Team That Fosters Multiple Outcomes

“…Further, although the amount of organized practice was relatively low (one to two sessions each week from ages 6 to 10), the respondents highlighted the importance of having properly organized practice sessions with quality coaching also during the early years. The quality and microstructure of early practice engagement is rarely emphasized in research involving practice histories of successful athletes (Erikstad et al, 2018;Haugaasen et al, 2014). The coaches of Bryne generally structured practice sessions with much playing form activities and less traditional instruction, which previously has been argued to be beneficial for developing an understanding of the game and sportspecific decision-making skills (see Cushion et al, 2012).…”

The Self-Regulation of Learning – Self-Report Scale for Sport Practice: Validation of an Italian Version for Football

“…Self-regulation of learning was initially studied in education (Räisänen et al, 2016;Fernandez-Rio et al, 2017); only later did scholars begin to study it in a sport context (Cleary et al, 2006;Elferink-Gemser and Hettinga, 2017;Erikstad et al, 2018). It was first defined as a set of self-generated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are planned and cyclically adapted based on performance feedback (Zimmerman, 1989).…”