Identifying and Developing Talent Among Young Soccer Players

Identifying and developing talent is a key challenge for soccer clubs and national federations. These organizations devote considerable effort to selecting young soccer players who have the potential to reach a high level of excellence at the senior level, and then to providing them with the support and training necessary for them to develop and showcase their talent. However, this two-pronged approach faces a number of challenging issues:

• Is it really possible to identify talent early on?
• Can recruiters and trainers improve their assessment methods?
• Can we better predict future performance?
• How do soccer skills develop over time?
• Along what trajectories?

To address these questions, the latest scientific data on talent identification and development in soccer will be presented and illustrated through a concrete example of an ongoing collaborative project involving the Royal Dutch Soccer Association and the University of Groningen. Finally, insights into how talent identification and development strategies could be (better) organized will be offered, drawing on examples of successful practices from the Netherlands.

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