ABSTRACT
The development of psychosocial skills and characteristics is vital for successful sport participation, talent development, elite athletic performance, and effective functioning in other life domains, including school and work. The purpose of this chapter is to review the empirical research within and beyond the rugby context that discusses the importance of youth rugby players’ psychosocial development. Within this, adolescence and the characteristics of successful talent development environments are considered, as these significantly influence players’ psychosocial development. Further, it is outlined that research investigating players’ psychosocial development within rugby is limited, with most methodologies adopting a cross-sectional or retrospective approach. Recommendations for future research to strengthen our understanding of the psychosocial development of youth rugby players are provided. Finally, given the worldwide movement towards appropriate developmental opportunities, this chapter provides practitioners and researchers with insight to better understand and support youth rugby players’ psychosocial development.
