The role of specialisation in the promotion of young football talents: A person‐oriented study

Abstract

This paper investigates the controversial question whether it is more effective to promote specialisation in a specific sport at the beginning of a career, or whether to encourage a broad range of sports when promoting competitive sports talents in order for them to achieve a high level of performance in adulthood. The issue of promoting talents depends on human developmental processes and therefore raises developmental scientific questions. Based on recent, dynamic-interactionist concepts of development, we assume a person-oriented approach focussing on the person as a whole rather than individual features. Theoretical considerations lead to four interacting factors being summarised to form a subsystem: childhood training. The relative weights of these factors lead to patterns. By relating these to a performance criterion at the age of peak performance, particularly promising developmental patterns may be identified. 159 former Swiss football talents were retrospectively interviewed about their career, and the data analysed using the LICUR method (Bergman, Magnusson, & El-Khouri, 2003). Two early career patterns were identified as having a favourable influence on adult performance. Both are characterised by an above-average amount of in-club training. One pattern also exhibits an aboveaverage amount of informal football played outside the club, the other above-average scores for activity in other sports. Hence comprehensive training and practice inside and outside the club form the basis for subsequent football expertise.

A scoping review of the potential sociological predictors of talent in junior-elite football: 2000–2016

“…Conzelmann 67 reported players specialising in football at a later age. Such findings indicate that there may be confounding cultural issues within football, that transcend national boundaries, and contribute to a culturally acceptable notion that players should specialise in football above other sports from a young age.…”

The scientific foundations and associated injury risks of early soccer specialisation

“…In addition, data available from Portuguese national athletes (including soccer players) showed that the path to expertise were nonuniform, which reflects the complexity of skill acquisition (Leite et al, 2009). Furthermore, in former Swiss professional soccer players, although all players retrospectively reported above average volumes of in-club training, some showed above average participation rates of informal soccer outside the club, whereas, others described greater than average activity in other sports (Zinberg & Conzelmann, 2012). Cumulatively, while not always consistent, the existing literature indicates a more diverse approach to sports participation is preferable.…”

Anthropometric analysis and performance characteristics to predict selection in young male and female handball players

“…According to these authors, anthropometric, and physical performance characteristics are considered fundamental for talent identification. The present study expanded on these ideas and tried to determine which anthropometric and physical performance variables, by means of discriminatory analysis, were most significant at the time of selecting male and female handball players; this follows the trend of research established by other academics and practitioners 7,15,16 .…”