ABSTRACT
Talent and development in soccer is more typically considered from a technical, tactical, physical, and/or psychological perspective, and often overlooked are the social influences at play within a team. Despite its limited attention in the soccer literature, the importance of considering the social environment of a group is certainly not a novel suggestion, as it has been written about for nearly a century. In his field theory, Lewin (1939) posited that, to understand individual behaviour, we must factor all ‘fields’ at play within the environment (e.g., physiological, psychological, and social). In this chapter, the importance and prevalence of groups and group membership are outlined before introducing and describing specific social constructs. These constructs provide a broad view of social influences as a function of internalising team membership (social identity), perceiving group unity (group cohesion), and considering performance-related interactions with important social agents (motivational climate). The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research and key takeaways for practitioners working in youth soccer.
