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Category: development

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Culture

Soccer Coaching Preferences and the Path to Gender Equality

You’re a soccer club manager searching for the perfect coach to elevate your team. Credentials? Check. Experience? Top-notch. But one factor seems to overshadow all others—gender. Does it really matter whether your new coach is male or female? For many in the soccer world, it still does. A recent study of Division 1 professional soccer […]

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Development

Mastering the Goalkeeper Position: Insights from Two Seasons of Research

Goalkeepers are often the unsung heroes, yet their unique demands and contributions to the game are frequently overlooked. Recent research analyzing two seasons of data from youth goalkeepers in Spain’s top-tier soccer league sheds light on the physical and technical challenges they face. Goalkeepers: A Unique Role in Soccer Unlike outfield players, goalkeepers (GKs) operate […]

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Development

How Small-Sided Games Can Transform Your Team’s Tactics

Soccer is often called “the beautiful game” for its elegance, fluidity, and moments of sheer brilliance. But what if the secret to unlocking these magical moments lies not in flashy footwork but in small-sided games? New research shows how these scaled-down games—commonly used in youth soccer—can foster creativity that disrupts defenses and opens opportunities for […]

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Development

Understanding Maltreatment in Soccer

Maltreatment in sports is an uncomfortable but necessary topic of conversation. For soccer players, coaches, and club managers alike, understanding maltreatment and its implications isn’t just theoretical—it’s about changing lives and improving the game itself. A recent study, Towards an Understanding of Maltreatment in Football (will download a .pdf) uncovers the hidden realities within professional […]

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Development

How Data Revolutionizes Soccer Coaching

Imagine you’re a soccer coach preparing for a crucial match. You’ve analyzed your team’s strengths, but predicting the opponent’s tactics feels like guesswork. What if technology could provide precise predictions to refine your game plan? Machine learning is transforming soccer by analyzing complex datasets, offering insights that were once the domain of intuition. A recent […]

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Development

US Soccer Delays School Year Adoption

In a leaked memo, US Soccer delayed the adoption of the controversial switch from birth to the school year. Such a decision will not come until the 2026-2027 season and will be up to the local federations and clubs to determine whether to make the switch. Check out the not-yet-released document below. Elevate your understanding […]

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Development

Tactical and Emotional Development

Imagine your soccer team down by one goal in the last five minutes of the match. Players scramble to keep their composure, make split-second decisions, and push their physical limits to equalize. Soccer isn’t just about running fast or kicking hard—it’s a symphony of physical fitness, tactical brilliance, and emotional resilience. A recent study dives […]

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Development

How Speed Shapes Women’s Soccer Success

Imagine this: you’re coaching a women’s soccer team in the Spanish First Division. It’s game day, and every sprint, every dash counts. Now, picture two players—one darting down the wing at lightning speed, outpacing the defense, and another controlling the center, moving with intensity but less explosiveness. What’s the difference? And how could understanding their […]

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Development

Testing for Soccer Success

Imagine standing on the sidelines of a soccer game. The energy is electric as players sprint, pass, and shoot with precision. But what separates a promising young player from a future star? Behind the scenes, soccer clubs use science-driven testing to shape careers and enhance performance. From youth academies to elite leagues, these assessments reveal […]

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Business

Does a Long-Term Contract Really Improve Soccer Performance?

When a talented soccer player signs a long-term contract, fans and coaches alike may assume that they’ll see a stellar performance. After all, security in a player’s position should free them to focus on the game, right? However, new research challenges this assumption, revealing that contract length may not actually drive increased effort or improve […]

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