The Athletic Skills Model: Optimising development for the football player of the (near) future

Over the last 15 years, the game of football, and sports in general, have changed significantly. Besides increased media attention, which has turned the players into global stars, the physical demands placed upon football players have changed drastically (Allen, Taberner, Zhilkin, & Rhodes, 2023; Barnes, Archer, Hogg, Bush, & Bradley, 2014; De Hoog, 2024; Haugen, 2017; Lago-Peñas, Lorenzo-Martines, Lopez-Del Campo, Resta, & Rey, 2023; Nevell, Okojie, Smith, O’Donoghue, & Webb, 2019). An increasing number of clubs are recruiting performance analysts, and the data obtained reveal that players are faster and cover more distance (from 8 to 11 km per game) at higher intensities (e.g., more sprints). These sprints are not only 50% faster but also 35% longer in duration, which likely contributes to the rise in hamstring injuries. Moreover, the speed and accuracy of ball passing have increased dramatically. Players now need to make faster decisions on the field, which requires better and more efficient visual scanning behaviour i.e., eyes and head movements (Caso, van der Kamp, Morel, & Savelsbergh, 2023; Jordet et al., 2020; McGuckian, Cole, Chalkley Jordet, & Pepping, 2018). In the Premier League, for example, approximately 80% of the passes successfully reach the intended target. A team with a lower percentage of successful passes is at a competitive disadvantage and is more likely to lose the match. In addition, players are now taking fewer shots on goal but from closer distances. For instance, during the 1966 World Cup final, there were 77 shots on goals. In contrast, the finals of the 1970, 1986, and 2018 Word Cups had 42, 30, and 25 shots, respectively, indicating a clear downward trend (De Hoog, 2024). Additionally, the importance of corners and free kicks has increased, accounting for 33% of all the goals. This change can be partially attributed to changes in the game regulations, such as the prohibition on goalkeepers picking up the ball when passed by players from their own team. Finally, the development in tactics, including players’ positions on the field that are no longer ‘fixed’ as just attacker or defender, meaning that players today are more physically fit, benefit from better nutrition, and have entire teams of experts to increase their performance. In sum, the skill requirements of football players have changed. Beyond the football-specific technical, tactical, and mental skills, which still require significant training time, the athletic skills of players, that is the athletic demands, have increased. The football player of the (near) future is shifting from a mesomorphic body type to a more ectomorphic build: taller, leaner, faster, and flexible is the new motto (Nevill et al., 2019). These new skill requirements have, of course, implications for talent scouting and development. However, there is a slight problem: the decline in the physical capabilities of the children, both girls and boys, over the last 30–40 years.