ABSTRACT
In a study identifying coaches' perceptions of the factors considered to influence the development of elite adolescent football players, found that parents were, considered to exert a negative influence on development through a variety of unhelpful behaviours. As a key stakeholder in the development process, parents' perspective of the development environment has also started to receive attention. Alongside parents, athletes' peers are key social agent that appear to play important role within the development environment. A key implication of extant research towards the need for sports clubs and organisations to promote an integrated approach to talent development that optimises the important role of each key stakeholder in the development process. The value of continuing to examine the efficacy of athletic development environments based on the holistic ecological perspective would also appear to hold promise. Important area for future research is to provide guidelines for the environments that should be created to nurture adolescents through each stage of athletic development.
