An Australian perspective on talent identification and development in soccer A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Sport and Exercise) February, 2019 Kyle James Madden Bennett Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (Honours) Supervisors Doctor Job Fransen Distinguished Professor Aaron Coutts University of Technology Sydney Faculty of Health Human Performance Research Centre Moore Park, NSW Australia Certificate of original authorship I, Kyle James Madden Bennett declare that this thesis, is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy (Sport and Exercise), in the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney. This thesis is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. In addition, I certify that all information sources and literature used is indicated in the thesis. This document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. This research is supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program. Production Note: Signature removed prior to publication. 07/02/2018 Kyle James Madden Bennett Date Submitted i Acknowledgements There are many important people that I would like to thank for helping me with this thesis. First, a special mention to Ma, an incredible role model who was taken too soon. I dedicate this thesis to you, to show that you should never give up on your dreams; something that you taught me. I know you are watching over me and I am forever grateful for having you in my life. To my beautiful wife, thank you for your love and unwavering support throughout this long process. Thank you for distracting me with your ridiculous, but oh so addictive, television shows. I appreciate the patience you have shown me over my many years at university. I know you have now waited eight and a half years for me to finally get a full- time job, so I guess I could start looking. Thank you to my ever-so-supportive family. To Mum, Dad, and Pop, thank you for encouraging me to do what I love. I would not be the person I am today without you. To Emily and James, thank you for blessing me with my perfect little niece Luna. To my second family (Debbie, Colin, Kylie, Louise, Peter, Carlie, Lincoln, Decklan, and Maddison), thank you for not giving up on me. Whether this was forcing me to be excited for games nights, or teaching me useless trivia facts, our time together was invaluable. To my incredible mentors, Job and Aaron, thank you for providing me with the opportunity to complete my research higher degree at the University of Technology Sydney. I have come a long way under your leadership and have developed considerably as a researcher. I now truly understand the importance of being approachable, hard- working, and driven; qualities that you both possess. I hope to continue this relationship for many years to come. ii To Novak and Matchu, I need to thank you for so many things. Thank you for sacrificing your time on numerous occasions to travel to various testing locations so that I could collect data. Thank you for staying up to the early hours of the morning so that we could game together. Most importantly, thank you for being amazing and supportive friends. Finally, thank you to all the research assistants, especially Rhys and Jade, who were pivotal to this thesis coming together. Without your dedication to my research, this thesis would not be possible. iii Preface The current thesis presents a collective body of studies that are published or under-review in scientific journals. Study one and two are accepted published in Science and Medicine in Football. Study three is accepted and published in Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Study four and five are currently in preparation for journal submission. This thesis contains a general introduction that details the state of talent identification and development research and states the key objectives for each study (chapter one). A literature review is included to provide a comprehensive overview of commonly talent identification and development measures (chapter two). The main body of research is presented in chapters’ three to seven, in the form of one narrative review, and four original investigations. The general discussion provides an interpretation of the studies from a practical standpoint and details clear implications for researchers, coaches, and sporting professionals working in the talent identification and development field. The final section of this thesis is a summary of the major findings along with a guide to areas which researchers can further investigate. This thesis adopted the American Psychological Association 6th edition referencing style. All references are included in the reference list at the end of the thesis. iv List of publications Peer-reviewed journal articles Bennett, K.J.M., Vaeyens, R., Fransen, J. (2018). Creating a framework for talent identification and development in emerging football nations. Science and Medicine in Football. Advanced Online Publication. doi: 10.1080/24733938.2018.1489141. Bennett, K.J.M., Novak, A.R., Pluss, M.A., Stevens, C.J., Coutts, A.J., and Fransen, J. (2018). The use of small-sided games to assess skill proficiency in youth soccer players: A talent identification tool. Science and Medicine in Football, 2(3), pp. 231-236. doi: 10.1080/24733938.2017.1413246. Bennett, K.J.M., Novak, A.R., Pluss, M.A., Coutts, A.J., and Fransen, J. (2018). Assessing the validity of a video-based decision-making assessment for talent identification in youth soccer. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports. Advanced Online Publication. doi: j.jsams.2018.12.011. Bennett, K.J.M., Pluss, M.A., Novak, A.R., Crowley-McHatten, Z., Coutts, A.J., and Fransen, J. (In Preparation). The confounding influences of sporting participation history on talent identification assessments in youth soccer. Bennett, K.J.M., Pluss, M.A., Novak, A.R., Coutts, A.J., and Fransen, J. (In Preparation). A multifactorial comparison of Australian youth soccer players’ performance characteristics. Conference proceedings Beavan, A., Pluss, M.A., Bennett, K.J.M., Novak, A.R., and Fransen, J. (2016). The effect of small sided games bout duration on skill involvements and cognitive engagement v in youth soccer players. Exercise and Sport Science Australia – Research to Practice. Melbourne, Australia. Bennett, K.J.M., Novak, A.R., Dascombe, B.J., and Fransen. J. (2016). Assessing the decision-making ability of youth soccer players during various offensive video-based situations. Exercise and Sport Science Australia’s – Research to Practice. Melbourne, Australia. Bennett, K.J.M. (2017). The use of small-sided games to assess skill proficiency in youth soccer players. Australian Skill Acquisition Network Conference. Brisbane, Australia Bennett, K.J.M., Pluss, M.A., Novak, A.R., Coutts, A.J., and Fransen, J. (2018). The stability of youth soccer player’s performance characteristics after an 18-month development period. Exercise and Sport Science Australia’s – Research to Practice. Brisbane, Australia vi Statement of author contribution The valuable contribution of each author to the studies submitted as part of this thesis (Table I). Table I. The valuable contribution of each author to the studies submitted as part of this thesis. Study one Study two Study three Kyle Bennett Roel Vaeyens Fransen Job Kyle Bennett Novak Andrew Matthew Pluss Stevens Christopher Coutts Aaron Fransen Job Kyle Bennett Novak Andrew Matthew Pluss Coutts Aaron Fransen Job Research design 70% 5% 25% 50% 10% 40% 50% 20% 30% Ethics application 80% 20% 80% 20% Subject recruitment 100% 100% Data collection 60% 15% 15% 10% 70% 15% 15% Data analysis 100% 100% Statistical analysis 60% 40% 80% 20% Manuscript preparation 80% 20% 100% 100% Manuscript revisions 20% 80% 15% 15% 15% 20% 35% 10% 10% 30% 50% i Table I (cont’d). The valuable contribution of each author to the studies submitted as part of this thesis. Study four Study five Kyle Bennett Matthew Pluss Novak Andrew Zachary Crowley-McHattan Coutts Aaron Fransen Job Kyle Bennett Novak Andrew Matthew Pluss Coutts Aaron Fransen Job Research design 60% 40% 70% 30% Ethics application 80% 20% 80% 20% Subject recruitment 80% 20% 100% Data collection 55% 25% 5% 15% 60% 15% 25% Data analysis 60% 40% 90% 10% Statistical analysis 70% 30% 30% 70% Manuscript preparation 100% 100% Manuscript revisions 15% 15% 5% 20% 45% 10% 10% 30% 50% ii Table of contents Certificate of original authorship ................................................................................... i Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... ii Preface ............................................................................................................................. iv List of publications .......................................................................................................... v Peer-reviewed journal articles ....................................................................................... v Conference proceedings ................................................................................................ v Statement of author contribution ................................................................................... i Table of contents .............................................................................................................. i List of figures .................................................................................................................