Greed of the Youth Soccer Players

The behavioural building blocks of soccer excellence are laid down during the growth process. For many sports the physiological determinants of performances are influenced by genetic factors: they must be carefully nurtured during childhood (approximately age 4-12) and adolescence (age 13-19 years) if exercise and sporting potential are to be realized. A huge problem for soccer scouts is the identification of soccer talent at an early age.
Developing talent poses questions about whether there is a 'golden age' for specialization, if there is an optimal timing for skills acquisition and so on. There are considerations for the negative consequences of high training loads on the growing skeleton, the possibilities of psychological 'burnout' through specializing too early and the concomitant parental and social pressures. There is some concern about the hours devoted to soccer by those excelling at an early age who are obliged to play for their school, representative teams and participate also in soccer schools for talented young players.

Chronological age is not a perfect marker of biological maturity. Consequently early developers may be at an advantage in sport because of their size. They may orientate towards particular roles due to their advantage in height. They may be demotivated and drop out of sport later on when their counterparts catch up. Late developers may emerge as potential champions only when growth is finished. Since a near 12 months difference in age can make an enormous difference in performance capability, some boys and girls may be disadvantaged in under age competitions by virtue of having a birth date late in the year. In contact sports where strength is important this will lead to risk of injury. The alternative of soccer competitions where children are matched according to biological age is acknowledged to be unrealistic.

The most sensitive period for learning new movement patterns is probably between 9 and 12 years of age. The movement and muscle patterns of skilled kicking actions are evident in young soccer players by age 11. The practice in some sports is to start specialist training well before this time. Whilst the physiological systems that sustain prolonged training sessions can withstand the strenuous programmes prescribed, the growing skeletons of these elite children may not. The consequences of the stresses imposed on skeletal structures may show up later in the form of overuse injuries.

The VO2max increases with age but this is largely due to an increased body size. Anaerobic power and capacity are less well developed in children compared to aerobic power. This is reflected in the relative contribution of aerobic and anaerobic mechanisms in all out effort. In children a 6 minute run is dependent almost entirely on aerobic metabolism.
For the maximal effort of less than 60 seconds, children derive 60% of the total energy from anaerobic sources compared to 80% in adults. The relatively poor anaerobic capacity in children is confirmed by low levels of lactate production during intense exercise bouts and suggests a low glycolytic rate. There is especially limited potential in the prepubescent child for developing the anaerobic system. Evidence from magnetic resonance spectroscopy has confirmed that children are less able than adult to effect ATP rephosphorylation is anaerobic pathways during high intensity exercise. Anaerobic capacities increase progressively during maturation until reaching adult levels after the teenage years.

The truism that children are not miniature adults in acknowledged by the national governing bodies of soccer; the rules for youth soccer are different in some respects from the game for adults although the modifications very from country to country. Competitive matches start at under-8 in the USA for example, where matches are divided into four quarters each of 12 minutes. At under-10 each half lasts 25 minutes, at under-19. In tandem with these changes are modifications to the size of the pitch, the number of players and the allowances for substitutions. The regulations are intended to reduce the physiological strain on young players but the game still retains its intermittent high intensity nature.