Key Factors Influencing Talent Development of Junior Soccer Players in Sports Academies: A Focus on Coaches and Parents

Abstract

Abstract Soccer academies are responsible for the comprehensive development of young athletes, including formal education, living, and preparation for tournaments. Research on soccer youth development from the perspectives of coaches and parents of sports academy students has been limited. This study aimed to discover their perspectives on the key internal and external factors that influence the development of young soccer talents. Questionnaire data were collected from 79 coaches and 326 parents of U15 to U19 soccer players across eight soccer academies across four Central and Eastern European countries. The questionnaires presented 33 Likert-scale type questions organized around four dimensions to include internal factors, professional/sports factors, family/school factors, and other external factors. Independent sample t-tests were used to demonstrate the differences between sub-samples, and a stepwise discriminant analysis to highlight the major influential factors. The results indicate that both coaches and parents emphasize the importance of internal, professional/sports, and other external factors in soccer talent development. Coaches ranked cognitive (t=2.450, p=0.015), psychological (t=3.082, p=0.002), pedagogical (t=2.663, p=0.008) and moral role modeling (t=3.382, p=0.001) factors higher than parents. Parents gave higher priorities to the importance of the team’s results in the championship (t=-4.827, p=0.000), school results (t=-4.028, p=0.000), and financial support from family (t=-6.836, p=0.000). Overall, coaches’ beliefs focus upon professional conduct, expectations of the profession and the academy, while parents focus on supporting their children’s school and sports successes. Ongoing cooperation between parents and coaches is critical to bring positive changes in the development and long-term successes of young players.