Talent Identification and Development in Youth Sports

• Other Authors: Kelly, Adam Leigh (Editor), Jiménez Sáiz, Sergio L. (Editor), Santos, Sara (Editor), Lorenzo Calvo, Alberto (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: Research & information: general; Biology, life sciences; longitudinal; young; soccer players; motor performance; physical activity; strategic skills; affective; motivational; sport habits; talent selection; talent development; return of investment; market value; drafts; talent identification; athlete development; expertise; sports coaching; growth and maturation; performance assessment; relative age effect; endurance sport; performance development; cross-country skiing; talent transfer; training responses; Winter Olympic Games; self-confidence sources; self-efficacy; elite youth athletes; soccer; speed; football; performance diagnosis; long-term athlete development; performance monitoring; injury surveillance; sprint; countermovement jump; youth; maturation; predicted adult height; psychology; socioeconomic; social identity; physical; cognitive skills; TID; specialization; freeskiing; deliberate play; deliberate practice; psychological factors; physical performance; pattern recognition; Bayesian machine learning; youth rugby; early specialization; development; milestones; classification; youth cricket; batting; bowling; positive youth development; youth sport; realist evaluation; life skills; personal development; psychosocial development; technical skills; technical test; long passes; reception; performance; athletic development; ice hockey expertise; fitness assessment; birthplace; individual sports; team sports; youth sport programs; sport policy; sport psychology; academy soccer; EPPP; psychological literacy; experiences of a sport psychologist; sport psychology integration; early sports specialization; perceived competence; ice hockey; sports school; elite sports; multidisciplinary; relative age effects; athlete dropout; sport dropout; female; competition level; sport development; sport; challenge; psychological safety; care; elite performance; participation trends; sport context; motor competence; motor skill; grassroots; mixed methods; handball; specific precision; anthropometry; longitudinal dimensionality; para-athletes development; sport expertise; developmental model of sport participation (DMSP); coherence; psychological characteristics; physical characteristics; technical and tactical; elite youth soccer; n/a
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

We are delighted to share our Special Issue on Talent Identification and Development in Youth Sports. In 2020, the editorial team had several informal discussions about the growing interest from researchers and practitioners in these disciplines, and subsequently wanted to create a platform to help advance this field of literature. Following these conversations, we decided to use the Personal Assets Framework (Côté et al., 2014, 2016) to outline our objectives and the potential research topics for our Special Issue. In doing so, it was hoped that the studies included can inform evidence-based youth sport policies and athlete development programmes. Submissions were encouraged from a diverse range of quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine the current context of talent identification and development in youth sports, as well as reviews to synthesise expert knowledge within these disciplines. In light of the articles that have been included within our Special Issue, we believe our initial aims of progressing the talent identification and development literature have been achieved, and now hope that the research presented can be utilised by key stakeholders (e.g., administrators, coaches, parents, practitioners) and organisational structures (e.g., national governing bodies, professional clubs, recreational teams, youth sport associations) to create more appropriate youth sport settings.