Performance assessment in youth soccer: An investigation of reproducibility and measurement error

Doyle, Pamila (2006) Performance assessment in youth soccer: An investigation of reproducibility and measurement error. MSc(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Background: The introduction of new guidelines for the national club licensing certificate within Scottish Premier League (SPL) football clubs now requires the implementation of a sport science support programme for all SPL youth development teams. There are currently a limited number of publications available which focus on performance assessment in youth soccer players, and there is concern that methods in use with adult players may not be directly transferable to younger developing players. Before such an intervention can be implemented, it is essential to establish an appropriate means of performance assessment with an acceptable degree of measurement error.

Aim: To review the available literature on youth soccer performance and select an appropriate battery of performance assessments for use amongst the youth soccer population. Then to carry out a test retest investigation to determine whether the tests are reproducible and calculate confidence limits that will allow meaningful changes in performance to be detected in the future.

Methods: 76 young male soccer players were recruited from the youth development squads of 2 SPL clubs. Subjects underwent a battery of performance assessments which included: Squat Jump (SJ), Counter-movement Jump (CMJ), 10m & 20m (10M & 20M) sprint tests, 505-Agility tests with both left and right turn (505-L & 505-R) and 20m Multistage Shuttle Test (MST). Tests were performed on 2 occasions under identical conditions, with a period of 14 days separating test sessions. Paired t-tests were used to determine any systematic bias between test l and test 2 scores, and where appropriate, 95% limits of agreement (LOA) were calculated using the methods of Band & Altman (1986).

Results: The SJ, CMJ, 505-L and 505-R test protocols were found to be reproducible with LOA of +/-0.06m (SJ), +/-0.06m (CMJ), +/-0.32s (505-L) and +/-0.26s (505-R). The repeat measures for the lOM, 20M and MST protocols were found to be significantly different indicating a systematic bias.

Conclusion: The broad limits of agreement for the SJ, CMJ and 505-agility test protocols suggest limitations in their use as a measurement tool for analysing changes in performance, as currently administered. It is recommended that further investigation of familiarisation and measurement error be carried out before further use of these tests.

• Item Type: Thesis (MSc(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Additional Information: Adviser: Dr. Stan Grant.
• Keywords: Sports management, SPL, sports science.
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure; Q Science > QP Physiology; R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: Grant, Dr. Stan
• Date of Award: 2006
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2006-9063
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 30 Jul 2018 10:45
• Last Modified: 20 May 2021 11:06
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/9063