Identifying and developing talent in young footballers

Identifying and developing talent is a key issue for soccer clubs and national federations. These structures make considerable efforts to select young footballers likely to reach a level of excellence at senior level, and then to offer them the support and training they need to develop and express their talent. But this dual approach comes up against a number of thorny issues:

• Is early talent identification 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 what trajectories?

To answer these questions, the latest scientific data on talent identification and development in soccer will be presented, illustrated in concrete terms by a collaborative project currently underway involving the Royal Dutch Football Association and the University of Groningen. Finally, perspectives on how talent identification and development strategies could be (better) organized will be offered, based on examples of successful practices in the Netherlands.

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