Formulating a Development Path Model for Under-17 Football Players in Indonesia and Malaysia: A Step Towards Excellence

Abstract

The current research aims to develop a Path Model for Under-17 Football Players in Indonesia and Malaysia. A qualitative approach toward Grounded theory was used to formulate the research. A total of 25 coaches, 15 from Malaysia and ten from Indonesia, participated in the current research, which was determined through a purposive sampling method. The criteria of the participants were having a coaching license and having a minimum of 5 years of coaching experience. The participants were interviewed to formulate the model for the Under-17 Football Players in Indonesia and Malaysia. The data collected was analyzed with qualitative research software, namely N-Vivo 14. In this study's approach to the evolved grounded theory, open encoding techniques, axial encodings, and selective encodes are used for data analysis. The result indicated that the model proposed in the current research consists of three aspects. The first aspect was the issue and challenges for the athlete's development, which consisted of several factors: the coach's competencies, physical, technique, tactical, and psychological condition. The second aspect was the individual psychological trait consisting of several psychological conditions such as cognitive, affective, attitude, personality, and spirituality. The third aspect was the environment. The psychological condition consists of several aspects, such as the policy supporting the athlete's development, the support from the family, and the support from the coach. Keywords: football development, development path, u17 football players, Indonesia, Malaysia