Identifying and developing talent in young soccer players

Identifying and developing talent is a key challenge for soccer clubs and national federations. These organizations make considerable efforts to select young soccer players who are likely to achieve excellence at senior level, and then to offer them the support and training they need to develop and express their talent. But this two-pronged approach raises a number of thorny issues:

• Is early identification of talent really possible?
• Can recruiters and trainers improve their assessment methods?
• Can we better predict future performance?
• How do soccer skills develop over time?
• According to which trajectories?

To answer these questions, the latest scientific data on talent identification and development in soccer will be presented and illustrated in concrete terms by an ongoing collaborative project involving the Royal Dutch Soccer Association and the University of Groningen. Finally, perspectives on how talent identification and development strategies could be (better) organized will be proposed based on examples of practices that have proven successful in the Netherlands.

This event is organized by the Chair of Sports Psychology at the University of Montpellier Foundation, with the support of Banque Populaire du Sud and the City of Montpellier, as part of the Jean Bilard Days.