Talent Identification for Sport - Elite Women Football - Case Study Example

Talent Identification for Sport: Elite Women’s Football Previously, teams in countries all over the world acquired, trained and retained talented players by chance. However, stiff competition and the proliferation of teams have necessitated a change in approach to acquiring talent. Many teams have turned to talent identification and development whereby talented players are identified at a young age, assigned to professional coaches for training and development, and, hopefully, placement and retention (Carling et al., 2009: 5). Three main factors that necessitate talent identification are economic factors; since it is more economical to train talent than to buy, increase retention of players; since high player turnover is detrimental for a team, and to increase trainability; since young players are more adaptive to training. Talented individuals have high energy, creativity and imagination due to the complementary interaction of their skills, motivation and their creativity. In order for sports administrators, sports psychologists and coaches to identify talents successfully, they have to consider the physiological, psychological, and soccer-specific characteristics of players. Though various talent identifiers use different criteria when spotting potential players, there are eight main aspects used consistently by all. These include visual, shooting, dribbling, aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, level of motivation, decision making and anticipation (Ingebrigtsen, Dillern and Shalfawi, 2011: 3355: Castagna et al., 2010: 1490). Among many other sports that employ talent identification and management to recruit players in the team is the elite woman football in England. The football association of England launched FA Girls Talent Development to identify and develop talent for football teams in the country. This study analyses the factors underlying the success of the FA Girls Talent Development, its level of success, and shortcomings. Finally, the review will make recommendations on how the FA can make improvements in the program. Literature Review There are 30 FA girls’ centres, all of which fulfil the requirements, specification and criteria for quality and other factors. These centres receive funding from the FA and external funding, and the association states that the program will expand to include other facilities that meet the set benchmarks. The talent identification program involves spotting of talent and these young people are trained by coaches of prestigious teams in England, and use the training facilities used by senior teams. This has led to the growth of elite women football in England, and the FA predicts more growth due to its investment in talent identification and development (Mujika et al., 2009). Previously coaches depended on the physical and physiological aspects of players during their selection; however, these were not dependable and resulted in discrimination of talented players who fell below the levels of height, weight and strength that the coaches wanted. According to Mujika et al. (2009: 110), other factors are considered nowadays, such that young people are selected for the program based on the overall effect of their physical, psychological, physiological, sociological and technical abilities (Keane et al., 2010: 1504). These factors are decisive in determining if a player has the capacity to work in a team, has something unique to offer for the team, and has the correct state of mind to remain motivated despite the challenges that one faces during training. Research has shown that expression of talent is dependent on the interaction between genetics and environmental factors, which means that players are born with inherent characteristics that enhance their performance. However, even the best of talents cannot be expressed in the absence of enabling physical, social, economic and other factors of the environment (Carling, Gall and Malina, 2012: 5). For instance, the people around the potential player should offer encouragement, and that is why coaches and parents work together early in career, but later on parent involvement in a player’s career can be toned down once one’s achievements become a central factor in player motivation. Moreover, a talented player must get an opportunity to practice on talent early in life, and one must get a chance to recruit in professional team in order to exploit one’s talent productively. Talent Identification and Development Procedure The coach has to interact with the player in six main stages in order to influence mental factors, lifestyle management, physical factors, movement skills, and technical and tactical skills. These stages for female players include; Stage 1. The desire to play (6 – 8 years old): the girl develops an interest in the game by participating in football games in order to develop basic physical capacity and literacy skills. Physical skills include speed, agility, balancing skills and coordination. Other basic skills include ball control skills like throwing, kicking, controlling and catching the ball, and running and jumping. Stage 2. The learning to play (8 – 11 years old): a girl is trained on basic tactics of professional football; a stage that occurs between the ages of 8 and 11. Moreover, confidence is built at this stage, a characteristic that is vital in future competitive football participation. Stage 3. The developing the player (11 – 15 years old): in this stage, the player learns the game, and the stage is characterised with increased activity. However, movement and development in this stage is not dependent on a person’s age, but on the physical features that a player has developed. This stage is characterised by high commitment, self-motivation, and setting and achievement of goals and deadlines (Buchheit et al., 2010: 2720). Stage 4. The preparation to compete (15 – 17 years old): this is the stage of playing and developing performance, whereby a player works on core skills and tactical application. Technical and tactical ability of a player are the core determinants of a player’s level of performance in one’s career. The stage is characterised with increased need for responsibility from the player and coach in a player-centred approach to training. This training prepares the players for competitive football internationally. Stage 5. The preparation to win (17 + years): this stage is the last in a player’s career life and lasts for the rest of the career. In this stage, the coach and other stakeholders offer technical and psychological support, and physical conditioning of the player to ensure winning performance in all occasions. A higher level of commitment from the player is necessary in order to achieve a high level of performance. Moreover, a high level of performance requires more specialised coaching and support in order to maintain employee morale and promote performance (Vescovi et al., 2010: 675). Shortcomings According to the FA, the programs survival is dependent on the availability of funding, which may be detrimental for the program since these funds may not always be available. Moreover, women’s football does not get as much media coverage as the men’s football, hence lowering the interest and willingness of players and sponsors to participate. The other limitation in developing women’s football is competition for pitches by too many teams, which reduces the chances of players playing to develop their talents. Finally, the talent identification program is limited to players with resources that enable them to practise, leaving out talent that may be found in marginalised areas (Vaeyens et al., 2008). Recommendations The FA, government, and other stakeholders should work on ensuring that funds are available without interruption to ensure the survival of the program in the long run; a portion of sports budgets should be committed to talent identification and development. Regulatory bodies should require the media to give elite women football as much coverage as is given to men’s football. More pitches should be built with training and competition purposes in mind to reduce competition for space in existing pitches. International competitions should be available to professional and amateur players in elite women football to give them the exposure needed to express their talents (Russell, 2011). Conclusion Talent identification and development is an effective approach to acquiring and preparing players for competitive careers. This is because it identifies potential players at an early age where players are most adaptive ad receptive to training. The FA’s approach to talent development is only effective as long as there is funding, which may not be assured. Therefore, the first change that the FA should implement is to ensure that FA Girls Talent Development does not lack funding. References Buchheit, M., M., Mendez-Villanueva, A., Delhomel, G., Brughelli, M., & Ahmaidi, S. (2010) ‘Improving repeated sprint ability in young elite soccer players: repeated shuttle sprints vs. explosive strength training’, Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, vol. 24, no. 10, pp. 2715-2722. 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