Methodological Approaches to Talent Identification in Team Sports

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This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/sports10060081

Talent identification (TID) and talent development (TD) continue to receive significant investment from team sports organisations, highlighting their importance in attempting to identify potential elite athletes. Accompanying this continual pursuit to unearth future talent is an ever-increasing body of research aiming to provide solutions and strategies to optimise TID and TD processes.

talent identification talent development youth sport

1. Introduction

The lure of success and financial reward is big business for sporting organisations. At the highest levels of team sports, exorbitant investments are made for the recruitment of the most talented athletes who can help organisations accomplish their goals. With this in mind, sporting organisations continue to invest in the identification and development of young talented athletes within their academy systems, with the hope of unearthing or developing potential world class elite athletes of their own ^[1]. As a product of this investment, youth sport is becoming increasingly professionalised, with organisations now supplying considerable resources for talent identification (TID). TID is defined as “recognising players participating in the sport who have the potential to excel” ^[2] (p. 1). Once identified, organisations aim to provide appropriate learning environments so that such athletes have the opportunity to realise their potential by maximising the training and development opportunities of prospective talents with the greatest potential for success ^[3]^[4]. This occurs through talent development (TD), defined as a “relatively systematic combination of coaching, support, training, and match play designed to progress players” ^[2] (p. 1).

Due to the popularity and growth of elite athlete development programmes, there is a vast and diverse quantity of TID research available across multiple sports. The variety and depth of such research has been important in establishing an evidence base, providing valuable reference data across sports in multiple disciplines (e.g., technical, tactical, physical, psychosocial), that may be used to distinguish between performance levels. Yet, this volume of research has potentially led to contrasting opinions and widespread misconceptions of talent in high performance team sport settings ^[5]. For example, it is acknowledged that TID is a complicated process, with the question of “what is talent?” alone proving to be a highly divisive and contradictory topic ^[6]^[7]. Due to a lack of consensus on a definition and objective measure of talent, TID refers to recognising current participants with the potential to progress or to become an elite athlete ^[2]^[8]. TID has typically inferred potential based on current performance level ^[9], yet Bergkamp et al. ^[10] argued that using performance level as an outcome for TID (i.e., elite vs. non-elite) may be misleading. Performance level is a consequence of one or more (de)selection decisions, and therefore, may only reflect a perception of talented and less talented individuals, rather than an objective measure of talent or potential. Without a clear measure for identifying future elite players, TID has become a significant contributor to research on youth team sport athletes; however, with such a substantial amount of literature, issues emerge relating to the diversity of research methods.

As a key area for research within team sports, several recent review articles ^[5]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15] raised issues regarding current approaches to TID. These include a lack of longitudinal research designs, the use of monodisciplinary research designs (i.e., physical, psychological, technical, tactical, etc.), and low-fidelity performance characteristics (e.g., isolated sprint testing). However, these methodological issues have yet to be examined collectively, with specific application to team sports as a whole. To date, there are no real consensuses on the underpinning methodology for talent identification or which characteristics of talent may best distinguish athletes which are most likely to progress to the elite level. Researchers and practitioners continue the search for the distinctive characteristics responsible for achieving sporting excellence, but is it fair to say that no consensus may ever be reached, considering the ever-evolving complex and dynamic nature of team sports and the subjective opinions of what constitutes successful performance ^[16].

2. Talent Identification Research Designs

2.1. Cross-Sectional Research

Cross-sectional research designs are the most common methodological approach in TID research (i.e., 68% of studies according to a recent scoping review by Baker et al. ^[11]). Cross-sectional studies often measure specific characteristics within different disciplines (e.g., speed, endurance (physical), passing, dribbling (technical), motivation, confidence (psychological), game intelligence, and general tactics (tactical)) at a one-off timepoint and make comparisons across two or more distinct groups. Previous research has included comparisons of elite vs. non-elite athletes ^[17], selected vs. non-selected regional athletes ^[18], academy vs. school athletes ^[19] or regional vs. national athletes ^[20]. This type of research is often used to measure the characteristics believed to be linked to successful performance in a cross-section of the sample of interest ^[21]. Such cross-sectional research designs provide a “snapshot” of performance at a moment in time, which is perhaps indicative of an individual’s expertise or talent.

Cross-sectional study designs have been used in TID across multiple team sports, including soccer ^[22], rugby union ^[19], Australian football ^[23], netball ^[24], rugby league ^[25], basketball ^[26], and field hockey ^[27]. Whilst this research is of value, the efficacy of cross-sectional designs in identifying talented youth athletes remains in question. For example, research by Gil et al. ^[28] examined the selection process of a professional soccer club in Spain to identify the physical characteristics of players who were selected into the club’s academy. Players who were selected between the ages of 9 and 10 years were leaner (48.9 mm vs. 66.2 mm sum of skinfolds, p < 0.01), quicker (4.96 s vs. 5.53 s in a 30-m sprint test, p < 0.001), more agile (5.81 s vs. 6.38 s in a 30-m agility test, p < 0.001), jumped higher (29.1 cm vs. 26.9 cm in a countermovement jump test, p < 0.01) and possessed greater aerobic endurance (618 m vs. 464 m in the yoyo intermittent recovery level 1 test, p < 0.01) than a control group from an open soccer camp who were not selected to train in the club’s academy. If physical advantages at a young age, as observed by Gil et al. ^[28], are used in TID and selection processes, this seems heavily reliant on the assumption that any physical advantages would remain consistent within individuals across childhood and adolescence, and transfer to adult performance. This fails to account for the influences of individual growth and maturation ^[29]^[30]^[31]^[32] and the effects of development (i.e., practice, coaching and training) ^[2]. Similarly, research by Zuber and Conzelmann ^[33] demonstrated elite youth ice hockey players with higher intrinsic motivation (assessed via 5 motivational constructs–win orientation, goal orientation, hope for success, fear or failure and self-determination), were rated as better players by their coaches (using a 1–100 scale) when judging game performance, in comparison to their less motivated counterparts. Therefore, a key limitation of a cross-sectional research design as a methodological approach is that assessing performance, at a singular time-point, as an indicator of talent, provides limited information on future potential. This is partly due to the non-linear and dynamic nature of development in talented elite youth athletes ^[34]^[35], where variables that correlate with a performance advantage at young ages (e.g., an early developing basketball athlete with greater height) may not necessarily be the same factors explaining adult performance or that the individual’s height may be an advantage in adulthood ^[6]. Research evidence shows the disparate development among youth athletes. For example, a longitudinal case study by Moran et al. ^[36] displayed substantial fluctuations in academy soccer player’s sprint and jump performances over a 6-year period. Such research confirms that one off performance measures are likely temporary representations of athletic capabilities, where current performance is interpreted as a proxy for potential ^[9].

In summary, whilst cross-sectional data used in TID is advantageous for comparisons between groups or athletes at a singular timepoint, the inclusion of cross-sectional data in identification or de(selection) decisions within long-term TID/TD programmes can be considered imprudent, as it may prematurely exclude late-developing athletes, given the non-linear development of certain characteristics that may affect performance (e.g., speed, ^[36]). A more suitable approach is likely to be based on serial measurements of these characteristics over time, to better understand the trajectory of an elite youth team sport athlete’s development ^[37].

2.2. Longitudinal Research

Longitudinal research has been used to follow a cohort of athletes and assess changes in characteristics at two or more time-points ^[38]. Through taking repeated measurements of an athlete or group of athletes, a longitudinal research design can assess the characteristics that may be linked to performance whilst also assessing changes and development over time ^[39]. In practice, longitudinal research has greater affinity than cross-sectional research to TD, where regular assessments can serve as a monitoring tool for a group of athletes. Longitudinal research surrounding TID is less common, research that does exist has demonstrated variations in the long-term development of certain characteristics between differing groups, in several sports including rugby league ^[40], field hockey ^[41], handball ^[42], soccer ^[43], and Australian rules football ^[44]. Key findings of such studies are summarised in Table 1. Studies were selected as being representative of a variety of team sports, having a minimum of three measurement occasions and a study period of at least 12 months in order to represent longitudinal change between groups that was not attributable to short-term intervention.

Table 1. Examples of Longitudinal Research for TID in Team Sports.

Authors/Sport	Sample/Timeframe	Objectives	Key Findings
Till et al., 2013 ^[40]/rugby league	81 male junior rugby league players from under 13-under 15/3 consecutive years.	Compare longitudinal development of physical and anthropometric characteristics considering position and selection level in junior rugby league players.	1. Selection level (national vs. regional) had a significant overall main effect on physical and anthropometric characteristics. 2. Players who moved up in selection level significantly improved sprint speed and were the quickest at under 15 age category. 3. There was a significant interaction between maturation and time for sprint speed, vertical jump, and medicine ball throw.
Matthys et al., 2013 ^[42]/handball	94 youth handball players from under 14-under 18/3 consecutive seasons.	Assess longitudinal changes in anthropometry and physical performance between elite and non-elite handball players.	1. Elite players did not improve their physical performance more rapidly than non-elites and had similar anthropometric profiles. 2. Elite players performed significantly better on the intermittent endurance, speed, and coordination items. It was revealed Yo-Yo distance and coordination with and without ball discriminated most between the two playing levels.
Roescher et al., 2010 ^[43]/soccer	130 male youth soccer players aged under 14-under 18/5 consecutive years with the exception of 1 year.	Investigate the development of intermittent endurance capacity, the underlying mechanisms affecting this development and attained adult playing level in talented youth soccer players.	1. From 15 years of age players who reach professional status show a faster development pattern than non-professionals. 2. Both hours spent in soccer-specific training and hours spent in additional training were positively related to the development of intermittent endurance capacity.
Elferink-Gemser et al., 2007 ^[41]/field hockey	30 elite and 35 sub-elite male and female youth field hockey players from under 14-under 16/3 consecutive years.	Identify the performance characteristics that may help identify future elite hockey players.	1. Both male and female elite players scored better than sub-elite on technical and tactical variables. 2. Female elite players also scored better on interval endurance capacity, motivation, and confidence. 3. Male and female elite players improved more than their sub-elite counterparts on interval endurance capacity and slalom dribble across the study period.
Pyne et al., 2005 ^[44] /Australian rules football	283 Australian rules football players/3 consecutive years.	Determine the relationships between anthropometrics and physical fitness tests and subsequent career progression.	1. Drafted players were faster (5, 10 and 20-m), had higher estimated VO2 max and a faster agility run performance than non-drafted players. 2. No substantial differences in anthropometric or jump tests were found between drafted and non-drafted players.

Whilst cross-sectional data can provide differences in characteristics between two distinct groups at singular timepoints, longitudinal research ^[45]^[46] provides practitioners with a measure of athlete progression to assess the effectiveness of TID/TD processes ^[31]. However, one major methodological challenge to longitudinal research is participant dropout, where repeated measures cannot be taken of athletes who are not afforded the opportunity to progress. This is highlighted in the work of Moran et al. ^[36] who’s final sample of 6 athletes (from an initial 140) were the only individuals to achieve the longevity required for the 6-year period of study on longitudinal monitoring of physical characteristics within a single professional soccer academy. In such cases, a more thorough estimation of sample size requirements that accounts for participant attrition and expected drop out rates may help overcome such methodological challenges.

Most longitudinal research measures change on a group level, possibly sacrificing insight into changes on an individual level, which may provide a more in-depth understanding of development. Through monitoring longitudinal changes in the characteristics that underpin successful performance, researchers and practitioners are likely to be provided with a more valid, continuous indicator of an athlete’s potential to progress based on that athlete frequently achieving the necessary characteristics to be retained within a TD programme. For example, an athlete who progresses through an academy and avoids deselection is likely to possess superior characteristics in one or more disciplines (physical, technical, tactical, psychological) at multiple timepoints, from both an objective (standardised assessments) and/or subjective (coach’s perceptions) perspective, in comparison to their deselected peers. This allows them to continue in the pathway and have an opportunity to reach the professional level in their sport ^[6], rejecting the notion of TID as a transient process.

2.3. Prospective/Retrospective Research Designs

When discussing methodological issues surrounding TID in soccer, Bergkamp et al. ^[10] stated a key focus of TID research is to evaluate the predictive value of performance characteristics, not just to identify such characteristics. Research has attempted to both prospectively track an athlete’s development into professional status ^[47], as well as retrospectively examine their development once professional status has been attained ^[48]. Approaching TID through prospective and retrospective research designs, often leads to TID being conceptualised as a direct relationship between a factor (e.g., height) and adult performance in a particular team sport (e.g., volleyball). For example, research in soccer players who went on to play at international or professional levels as adults, displayed superior performance in several anthropometrical and fitness measures at under 14 to under 16 age groups (i.e., height, body mass, maximal anaerobic power, countermovement jump, 40-m sprint time) ^[49]. More recent research supports such findings showing that future professional soccer players outperformed their non-professional counterparts in measures of speed (5/10/20-m sprint times), power (countermovement jump height), and endurance (distance covered in yoyo intermittent recovery test level 1) from age ~13/14 years onward ^[39]. Similar findings have also been shown when investigating psychological ^[50], tactical ^[51] and technical ^[52] characteristics, as well as multidimensional research designs ^[53]. For instance, Forsman et al. ^[53], found future elite players outscored non-elite players, at 15 years of age, in tests of dribbling and passing, passing and centering (technical), speed, agility, endurance (physical), motivation (psychological), and “acting in changing situations” (tactical). Whilst these examples of research may aid in establishing characteristics associated with future success (i.e., having better characteristics), research still fails to provide insight into the individual, non-linear developmental patterns of such characteristics ^[48].

A methodological approach that considers the dynamic nature of TID/TD as a long-term process, whilst also considering future career outcome, allows practitioners and researchers to further understand and examine the relationships and individual developmental trajectories that may influence the future career attainment of the most talented team sport athletes ^[48]. Studies using such an approach (i.e., longitudinal retrospective) are uncommon in the literature, with some exceptions ^[38]^[47]^[48]. For example, Till et al. ^[38] retrospectively examined the development of physical characteristics between 13–15 years of age for those players who attained professional, academy and amateur status in rugby league. It was found that the enhanced development of sitting height, speed, change of direction speed and estimated maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) between 13–15 years of age could differentiate between career attainment outcome of professional and amateur players. Similar findings in soccer ^[48] showed different patterns of development in tests of vertical jumping and slalom agility when prospectively tracking future professionals and non-professionals, with professionals improving at a faster rate between 12–18 years of age. In contrast, Leyhr et al. ^[47] found no significant interactions between speed and technical skill development and future adult performance level (i.e., professional vs. non-professional). It should be noted however, inconsistencies in definitions of professional status were observed between the studies, with Leyhr et al. ^[47] limiting their scope to professional players only within Germany. These contrasting findings potentially suggest a lack of generalisability outside of their respective environments (e.g., sport, country), but also to the wider population due to the restriction in the range present in the respective samples typified by the homogeneity of groups (i.e., selection bias of team sport athletes selected to some form of TID programme ^[10]). Additionally, the selected studies tended to assess longitudinal development and career attainment interactions at a group level, where a case-by-case individual analysis of players may provide more insight ^[47].

As such, research designs may aim to identify characteristics important for successful performance, track the fluctuating development of these characteristics through periods of adolescence/maturity, and evaluate their relevance in future career outcomes assessed on an individual level. It should also be noted that due to the complex, myriad of factors responsible for team sport performance, research that is mono-disciplinary in nature (i.e., only examining one component of performance, such as physical characteristics) cannot provide a complete picture of TID. As an extension, research that incorporates an array of potential future successful performance characteristics, and their interactions, into a longitudinal evaluation of the player, appears to be the optimal approach for TID/TD purposes ^[37].

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