Svensk fotbolls talangutveckling En kritisk studie om svensk fotbolls centraliserade talangutveckling

This is a critical theoretical inspired study of the centralized talent development within Swedish football. Prior research from mainly Tomas Peterson and Rolf Carlsson shows how difficult it is to anticipate which players that have best prerequisites to reach the elite level in football, and how individuals born in the first months of the year in early national youth elite selections are substantial overrepresented compared to individuals born late in the year because of further physical, intellectual and social development. These are factors that will be equally divided in adult age, and the dividing up in birth quarters of the players at the elite level also is quite equal which shows that the former imbalance were unjustified in terms of which players that have the best prerequisites for success.In my C-essay, a comparative study of IFK Göteborgs and Malmö FF´s respectively football academy, my comprehensive conclusion were to abolish the youngest youth national teams and divide the resources to an increased quantity deliberated training for as many youth players as possible through a diffusion of football academies in Sweden. This underlies my question at issue in this study and for a critical interview with the former director of player education at the Swedish Football Association, Thomas Lyth. Interviews on the subject have also been done with three big football district associations in the south, which are compared with each other and the National Football Association.It appears that it has been made important changes of the centralized talent development due to the research results. The individual education of players is emphasized to a greater extent than before, every year a larger age group of players to be stimulated is chosen, and the system of youth national teams (age 13-19) isn’t excluded for players that on an early stage in the system have been redacted (which was pretty much the case before). In spite of this I think a discussion of more changes to be done can be interesting. Interviews with the football districts show that within Swedish football there also are some critics. Representatives from the districts Skåne, Småland and Göteborg have more or less critic to have the youngest youth national teams. Most of the players’ training take place at the local level; therefore it is important to have strong football district associations that can give many players a deliberate education in a good environment just like football academies potentially can supply. I think that stimulation activities and ability groupings favourably can be done at district and club level. I think youth national teams are motivated from about the age of 18 years, when the dividing up of players in birth quarters is pretty equal and it’s easier to anticipate which players that have best prerequisites for success at the senior elite level. Earlier youth national teams send wrong signals to both the players who are chosen and mostly to all the players who are redacted. I think that a diffusion of resources and competence in Sweden according to talent development is important