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Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes

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A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 15385

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Dr. Emilio Villa-González

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Guest Editor

Department of Physical and Sports Education, PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Granada, C / Santander, 1 CP 52005 Melilla, Spain
Interests: physical activity; active scrolling; physical condition; physical exercise intervention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Julio Calleja-González

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Guest Editor

Physical Education and Sport Department, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gazteiz, Spain
Interests: elite sport; recovery from fatigue; training; physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The influence of adults (coaches, teachers, friends, and family) and sport clubs on the systematization, planning, and pedagogical organization of learning environments will directly affect the context of practice and development of young people participating in sports.

For instance, the implementation of sport programs, such as the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework, enables coaches to develop beneficial individualized and personalized programs based on critical trainability periods. It will also ensure that athletes develop to their full potential. The LTAD framework is athlete-centred; coach-driven; and supported by administration, sport science and sponsors. In the same line, Holt et al. (2017) established an important milestone in the consolidation of a new positive youth development (PYD) model for sports. The new model highlights the fact that PYD can be provided both implicitly and explicitly. Implicitly, coaches can integrate PYD into their “regular day-to-day interactions” with young athletes. The explicit path indicates the need for psychosocial benefits to be turned into life skills.

The aforementioned models are just some examples of how the implementation of certain conceptual models can strengthen a young person's athletic development process. These models could be associated with important variables in the integral development process of young people, such as the appearance of sports injuries or other aspects related to the psychology of youth athletes. In this Special Issue, we seek to collaborate with researchers within the discipline of team sports for young athletes. More specifically, the overarching aim is to explore the sustainability of team sport for young athletes, i.e., environments and factors associated with the healthy and sustainable development of young athletes in their sporting careers.

In this regard, it is hoped that contributing research can inform evidence-based youth sport policies and athlete development programmes. Submissions from a diverse range of qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures to explore the sustainability of team sport in young athletes are encouraged, in addition to commentaries, conceptual papers, brief reports and reviews to synthesise expert knowledge and opinions within this discipline.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Youth development (e.g., influence of family, peers, coaches, friends, and sport academies) for team sport sustainability.
Team sports-based education programmes in young athletes (e.g., training, injury prevention, nutrition programmes, sleep education and hygiene programs).
Research on youth talent development (e.g., long term athlete development and dropping out) and athlete development pathways (e.g., early specialisation and early sampling).
Novel strategies to control and evaluate growth, maturation, and physical development (e.g., biological age and fitness testing) in young athletes.
Creating enriching environments (e.g., creativity-based programmes and teaching models).
Multidisciplinary approaches to athlete development (e.g., holistic approaches and multidisciplinary models).
Sustainable strategies in team sport during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethics, morality and development of values in team sports among young athletes.
Development of the psychological dimension (e.g., leadership and mental wellbeing) of young people.
Potential talent models.
Qualitative research exploring key stakeholder experiences and perceptions of sustainability in team sport for youth athletes (e.g., interviews and focus groups).
Opinions and reviews to synthesise expert knowledge (e.g., conceptual papers and systematic reviews).

Please feel free to contact the editorial team directly if you wish to discuss a potential submission.

Dr. Emilio Villa-González
Prof. Dr. Julio Calleja-González
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

youth athletes
team sports
sustainability
multidisciplinary models
talent development
long-term athlete development
education programmes
injuries
specialisation

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1023 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Reaction Time during the One-Leg Balance Activity in Young Soccer Players: A Pilot Study

by Fábio Saraiva Flôres, Joana Lourenço, Lucy Phan, Simon Jacobs, Renata Matheus Willig, Priscila Ellen Pinto Marconcin, Nuno Casanova, Denise Soares, Filipe Manuel Clemente and Ana Filipa Silva

Children 2023, 10(4), 743; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10040743 - 19 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1629

Abstract

This study’s aim was two-fold: (i) to test the intra-session reliability of the one-leg balance activity test; and (ii) to assess the influence of age on reaction time (RT) and the differences between dominant and non-dominant feet. Fifty young soccer players with an average age of 12.4 ± 1.8 years were divided into two groups: younger soccer players (n = 26; 11.6 ± 0.9 years) and older soccer players (n = 24; 14.2 ± 0.8 years). Each group then completed four trials (two with each leg) of the one-leg balance activity (OLBA) to evaluate RT under a single-leg stance. Mean RT and the number of hits were calculated, and the best trial was also selected. T-tests and Pearson correlations were performed for statistical analysis. Values for RT were lower, and the number of hits was higher while standing on the non-dominant foot (p = 0.01). MANOVA revealed that the “Dominant Leg” factor did not affect the multivariate composite (Pillai Trace = 0.05; F(4, 43) = 0.565; p = 0.689; Partial ETA Squared = 0.050; Observed Power = 0.174). The “Age” factor did not present an effect on the multivariate composite (Pillai Trace = 0.104; F(4, 43) = 1.243; p = 0.307; Partial ETA Squared = 0.104; Observed Power = 0.355). The results of the present investigation demonstrate that RT may be lower while standing on the non-dominant foot. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes)

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10 pages, 572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Denis Čaušević, Babina Rani, Qais Gasibat, Nedim Čović, Cristina Ioana Alexe, Silviu Ioan Pavel, Lucian Ovidiu Burchel and Dan Iulian Alexe

Children 2023, 10(4), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10040721 - 13 Apr 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1765

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate differences in anthropometry, body composition (BC), and somatotype in young football players of the same chronological age according to the maturity stage. Overall, 64 elite players (age: 14.28 ± 0.46 years) were evaluated for standing and sitting body height, girth measures, and BC using the bioelectric impedance scale and skinfold thickness. In total, two-thirds (73.44%, n = 47) of football players were classified as on-time maturers, 12.50% (n = 8) were early maturing, and 14.06% (n = 9) were late maturing. Standing and sitting height, leg length, fat-free mass, and muscle mass were significantly different (p < 0.001) across maturity groups. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) with maturity progression was seen for subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds along with a girth increase at all sites (p < 0.05). Early maturers were balanced ectomorphs, while on-time and late maturers featured mesomorph–ectomorph characteristics. The obtained results suggested that mature players have better BC presented as a lower fat percentage along with higher muscle mass, advantages in circumferences, and longitudinal dimensions of the body with highlighted mesomorph features. Maturity can have a substantial influence on body measures, thereby affecting sport-specific performance. Early maturers can use their anthropometric advantages and compensate for a lack of talent, consequently preventing even participation of physically undeveloped players in training. A better understanding of maturity, BC, and somatotypes can help in the selection of young talented players. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes)

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12 pages, 993 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Activating Specific Handball’s Defensive Motor Behaviors in Young Female Players: A Non-Linear Approach

by Sebastián Espoz-Lazo, Claudio Farías-Valenzuela, Claudio Hinojosa-Torres, Frano Giakoni-Ramirez, Pablo Del Val-Martín, Daniel Duclos-Bastías and Pedro Valdivia-Moral

Children 2023, 10(3), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030469 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1893

Abstract

Traditional models to train and teach young players in team sports assume that athletes learn as linear systems. However, an actual methodology called Non-Linear Pedagogy (NLP) accounts for the fact that the players and the team are complex dynamic systems. Experiences in handball under this methodology are scarce; due to this, an observational study has been conducted with a follow-up, idiographic and multidimensional design, in which 14 female school handball players belonging to four different local teams in Santiago, Chile (age = 15.55 + 0.51) agreed to participate in three special handball training sessions with the use of the NLP methodology where three different constraints were used. Descriptive analysis with the Chi-squared test showed a total of 252 observations where most of the variables were dependent on the constraints (p ≤ 0.001). Frequency showed that mainly “Defense in Line of progression” and “Proximal contact” were the most activated variables, followed by “Harassment” and “Deterrence” for all constraints. However, only constraint 2 highly activated two collective motor behaviors, while the rest only did it with individual motor behaviors. It is concluded that the constraints used in training seem to be effective in activating a group of defensive handball motor behaviors, specifically those that are basic for female school handball players. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes)

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13 pages, 497 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Motivation by, Perceived Quality of and Satisfaction with Sports Services among Young Athletes: A Psychological Approach

by Antonio Aznar-Ballesta, Eva María Peláez-Barrios, Alicia Salas-Morillas and Mercedes Vernetta

Children 2022, 9(10), 1476; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9101476 - 27 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1691

Abstract

The aim was to assess the psychological approach of young athletes to sports services in terms of motivation, perceived quality and satisfaction. A total of 307 adolescents (55.7% male and 44.3% female) between 12 and 18 years old participated. Three questionnaires were applied: an ad hoc questionnaire, the Self-Report of Motivation to Practice Physical Exercise (AMPEF) and the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Sports Services (EPOD2). A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted, applying regression analysis to determine the predictive nature of the factors in the questionnaires. Individual sports players and non-competitors rated the motivational factors lower than those who practised collective sports and competed, and the results were reversed with regard to the perceived quality of, satisfaction with and value of the service. They valued human and personal treatment more highly, correlating it moderately and positively with service value (r = 0.422 for the monitor and r = 0.442 for the organisation’s staff) and satisfaction (r = 0.43 for the monitor and r = 0.552 for the organisation’s staff). Satisfaction was a negative predictor of extrinsic motivation, and vice versa (β = −0.207 and β = −0.143). Young athletes, in general, have an orientation towards intrinsic motivation and therefore a low tendency towards sports dropout. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes)

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11 pages, 785 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Koulla Parpa and Marcos Michaelides

Children 2022, 9(5), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050650 - 01 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1917

Abstract

Considering that most professional academies seek to optimize the early detection and physical development of their younger players, the purpose of this study was to examine the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics in a large cross-sectional sample of youth soccer players in Eastern Europe, starting from a very young age during their in-season period. Three hundred and thirteen soccer players (n = 313), grouped into eight age categories, participated in the study. On the basis of chronological age, the group categories were: 7 (n = 26), 8 (n = 41), 9 (n = 46), 10 (n = 48), 11 (n = 42), 12 (n = 47), 13 (n = 43), and 14 years old (n = 20). The players underwent an anthropometric evaluation, flexibility, handgrip strength, vertical jump performance, speed, and agility assessments. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated significant differences in the anthropometric and physical fitness variables based on chronological age (F = 13.40, p < 0.05, Wilk’s Λ = 0.08, partial η² = 0.30). Concurrently, there were significant growth and physical fitness differences even in players born in the same chronological year. It is believed that the results have important practical implications, especially for those involved in youth soccer. Based on our results, coaches should contemplate speed and agility development in training sessions starting from a much younger age, as sprinting while changing directions has been considered an essential prerequisite in soccer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes)

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10 pages, 264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Speed, Change of Direction Speed, and Lower Body Power in Young Athletes and Nonathletes According to Maturity Stage

by Mladen Živković, Nenad Stojiljković, Nebojša Trajković, Nikola Stojanović, Anđela Đošić, Vladimir Antić and Nemanja Stanković

Children 2022, 9(2), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9020242 - 11 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2122

Abstract

The aim of this study was to establish the role of maturation on the development of physical performance in adolescent athletes and nonathletes. The total studied sample consisted of 231 participants (131 athletes: 72 boys with an average chronological age of 13.53 ± 0.7 and 59 girls with an average chronological age of 11.97 ± 0.8; 100 nonathletes: 47 boys with an average chronological age of 13.73 ± 0.47 and 53 girls with an average chronological age of 11.93 ± 0.33), distributed according to their biological maturity stage (Pre-, Mid-, and Post-Peak Height Velocity [PHV]) and to their gender. The assessment of physical performance was performed using the following tests: Countermovement jump (CMJ), countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJA), squat jump (SJ), five-jump test (5JT), 5 m sprint (5 m), 10 m sprint (10 m), 20 m sprint (20 m), T-test, Zig Zag, and Slalom. The differences in athletes according to biological maturity were identified in all variables except for 5 m (p = 0.33) and Slalom (p = 0.07), while in nonathletes the differences were found in 5JT (p = 0.01), 5 m (p = 0.02), 10 m (p = 0.01), and 20 m (p = 0.01) tests. Additionally, a significant interaction of gender and biological maturity was detected for CMJ (p = 0.03), CMJA (p = 0.01), and Zig Zag (p = 0.05) in athletes. The findings of the current study confirm the importance of maturity status in the assessment of physical performance. As a consequence, a more rational selection of talented athletes could be provided, also enabling the timely development of physical performance in nonathletes as a “window of opportunity”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes)

9 pages, 2924 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The New Generation of Professional Soccer Talent Is Born under the Bias of the RAE: Relative Age Effect in International Male Youth Soccer Championships

by Benito Pérez-González, Jairo León-Quismondo, José Bonal, Pablo Burillo and Álvaro Fernández-Luna

Children 2021, 8(12), 1117; https://doi.org/10.3390/children8121117 - 02 Dec 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2834

Abstract

In 2019, numerous championships of youth categories soccer national teams were held. In the present study, we analyzed the existence of the Relative Age Effect (RAE) in four major male championships that, due to their importance and participating teams, most likely brought together the great bulk of the players who will dominate professional soccer in the next decade. Participants were professional and amateur youth male soccer players who participated in the last international championships: UEFA European Under-21 Championship (2017–2019); UEFA European Under-19 Championship (2019); South American Youth Football Championship (also known as Conmebol U-20) (2019); and FIFA U-20 World Cup (2019), with 823 players (20.25 ± 0.84 years). In the four championships analyzed, the existence of RAE was found for all players (p < 0.001). Analyzing the players when considering their position on the pitch and their championship, RAE was found, statistically significant, in 10 of the 16 classifications. New generations of elite soccer players arrive with a clear bias in the selection of talent; an unfair bias, based on unequal opportunities in early categories, which should be reviewed by sports authorities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Team Sports for Young Athletes)

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