Promoting psychosocial development in young soccer players using hybrid learning

Psychosocial attributes are an important element of talent development in young soccer players which may account for future selection, life skills, and performance outcomes. Despite recent advances, many young players may not have the access or resources to effectively engage with this aspect of their development. As contemporary young people have an aptitude and familiarity with technology, hybrid learning could be harnessed to support their psychosocial development in the sport. New approaches should be continually evolved to best introduce and implement sport psychology for athletes. This thesis shall address eliciting and implementing hybrid learning principles to support the psychosocial development of young soccer players. First, a systematic narrative review of research was conducted to ascertain psychosocial skills and characteristics examined within published research in youth soccer populations. Results from a final return of 89 papers aligned with the headings of motivational, regulatory, and interpersonal attributes. Mental skills were identified as auxiliary to each category. Second, to gain an understanding of best practice for instilling psychosocial attributes, an e-Delphi study was conducted. A sample of 20 coaches and sport psychology practitioners generated 29 statements ranked in perceived importance. Five statements reached a priori conditions of consensus providing a framework for psychosocial delivery within a youth soccer context. Third, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 practitioners responsible for the design and delivery of hybrid learning, across multiple sectors. Following reflexive thematic analysis, six themes were generated to outline recommendations for constructing a hybrid learning experience appropriate for young people. Finally, to culminate this thesis, the concluding study aimed to incorporate results obtained from the previous studies and deliver relevant and contemporary intervention for a youth soccer population. Four topics constituted the intervention, as derived from study one, with the agreement of the head coach of an academy soccer team. Delivery was structured in accordance with results from both studies two and three with an evaluation by social validation questions to ascertain the players’ perceptions of strengths and effectiveness of this format. Combined, this body of work offers new practical insight into the contemporary development of psychosocial skills and characteristics, supporting the development of today’s young soccer players. This thesis presents key principles for the design and delivery of hybrid sport psychology interventions that support psychosocial development in young soccer players. These insights can be used to aid the design of contemporary approaches for supporting the multidimensional nature of development in soccer, specifically in relation to psychosocial attributes.