ABSTRACT
Association football, otherwise known as soccer, is the most popular global sport with millions of males and females participating in the game. The production line of young footballers operates non-stop with each individual having dreams and aspirations of ‘making it to the top’ and emulating his/her superheroes. Many youngsters have their bedroom walls and rooms plastered with memorabilia and the expectations for success at all levels of competition are high. Furthermore, greater emphasis has been placed on boosting the production line at the start with a playground to podium approach. The focus on youth soccer has grown since the huge financial implications of ‘spotting a future star’ together with increased professional approaches to training and education have encouraged coaches, parents and administrators to support soccer development programmes. These approaches have emerged since the early 1980s and development programmes and structures are highly sophisticated and well funded in the new millennium. It is against this backdrop that a book considering essential scientific aspects of youth soccer is required. Over the years, there have been various texts covering the principles of youth soccer coaching and training. These texts include playing principles and practices with an almost infinite number of soccer activities, skill practices and strategic approaches described. Soccer coaching material is now readily available at the end of a computer terminal and thousands of web sites dedicated to soccer reflect the global demand. Surprisingly, therefore, there are few if any dedicated texts on the science of youth soccer. Given the emphasis on this sector of the playing population the need to fill this gap in the literature is important.
