Athlete Perceptions of Playing-Up in Youth Soccer
Goldman, Daniel Eric and Turnnidge, Jennifer and Kelly, Adam L. and deVos, Jason and Côté, Jean (2021) Athlete Perceptions of Playing-Up in Youth Soccer. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. pp. 1-46. ISSN 1533-1571
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Abstract
A common practice in sport is to play-up youth athletes who are highly skilled against chronologically older peers. However, the potential effects of playing-up on youth’s athletic and personal development have not been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate athletes’ perceptions of how playing-up may have influenced their sport-specific skill and psychosocial development. Seventeen athletes from four soccer clubs in Ontario, Canada, participated in semi-structured interviews where they described their playing-up experiences. An inductive thematic analysis was performed to capture athletes’ perceptions of playing-up and the ways in which it may have affected their development. Results showed that athletes perceived playing-up to involve a balance between two high-order themes: (a) challenge and (b) progress. Regarding challenge, athletes struggled most to cope with the intensity of practices and games and to fit in socially with older peers. Regarding progress, athletes felt most rewarded when they received recognition for their talent, experienced success, and had opportunities to develop expertise. Athletes also commented that their teammates and coaches played a pivotal role in facilitating their sport-specific skill and psychosocial development. Practical applications for sport practitioners are proposed and avenues for further research are identified.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | ** From Crossref journal articles via Jisc Publications Router ** History: epub 19-01-2021; issued 19-01-2021. |
| Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2021.1875518 |
| Date: | 19 January 2021 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | youth soccer, soccer coaching, accelerated learning |
| Subjects: | C600 Sports Science |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > School of Health Sciences |
| SWORD Depositor: | JISC PubRouter |
| Depositing User: | JISC PubRouter |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Jan 2021 16:02 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Jan 2021 16:02 |
| URI: | http://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/10820 |
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