Discriminating capacities of physical performance testing in male youth soccer academy programmes

Objective assessment and monitoring of physical performance in soccer players are mandated features of practice in English soccer academies. Based on these approaches, our interest was to investigate and compare the longitudinal physical performance profiles of those players that had eventually been successful and unsuccessful at the two highest levels, becoming male professional English Premier League and Championship level soccer players. The specific research objective was to investigate the between player variability and predictive validity of physical assessment measures against eventual playing outcome. A total of 297 male youth participants (born between 1999 to 2006) affiliated to three category one academies were tracked for eight years across six objective physical tests. Data were analysed by a series of mixed method ANOVAs, comparing outcome with age. Canonical Discriminant Function Coefficients and the TRIPOD Statement were applied for transparent reporting of prediction efficacy. Results suggest that physical characteristics offer little or no discriminatory power. We conclude by offering guidance for academies’ interpretation and usage of physical data.