This research was funded by the UEFA Academy programme and aimed to investigate how the football club environments (in terms of their organisational capacity, assets and philosophies) contribute to ‘scaffolding’ the learning environment for children and subsequently impact the ability of those clubs to promote the positive outcomes of youth football (namely life-long participation, personal development and enhanced performance; the 3 Ps).
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“Men are from Q1, Women are from…?” Relative Age Effect in female football
RAE patterns in male football are well established, but what about the female game? Why are they inconsistent? This blog explores the impact of differences in maturation, depth of competition, dropout, social influences.
Journal publication: “Stepping stones? An exploration of internal football player migration in the Republic of Ireland”
Brief excerpt of my recent journal publication: "Stepping stones? An exploration of internal football player migration in the Republic of Ireland"
Relative Age Effect in UEFA u17 Championships 2019
47% of players who represented teams at the u17 European Championships were born in the 1st 3 months of the year, with 6% comprising the final quarter. When broken down, this is 57 players born in January down to a low of 3 players born in December.
Family Fortunate? The Impact of Siblings on Talent Development
The sibling relationship can be seen as “a natural laboratory for young children to learn about their world”. What role do siblings play in talent development?
Football ‘tug of war’: When choosing means losing.
When should specialisation begin with youth football? I analyse the influence of competing sports on football development.
Parents in youth football- Potentially ‘Pushy’, always Pivotal.
'Pushy' they may be, but away from the sideline parents are extremely important social agents within youth football.
Where you are born matters for football development
Does where you are born in Ireland dictate your access to the FAIs primary talent development pathways?
Relative Age Effect in Irish youth football
What is the relative age effect? Why is it important that coaches and administrators know about it? Is it an issue in my league?
Talent development in Irish football 