Perceptual-cognitive performance of youth soccer players in a 360°-environment-Differences between age groups and performance levels

Introduction: An important requirement for soccer players is the accurate and rapid processing of dynamic and complex visual scenes. Therefore, in high-level youth soccer the players' perceptual-cognitive skills are highly relevant from a scientific and practical point of view. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in perceptual-cognitive performance between youth soccer players of different age groups and soccer performance levels in a dynamic 360 degrees-environment. Methods: In a sample of 292 elite and sub-elite youth soccer players from the age groups U12-U23, perceptualcognitive skills were assessed using a 360 degrees-multiple object tracking task. An 8 x 2 (age group x performance level) analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine the effects of age group and soccer performance level on performance in the task. Results: The analyses revealed a significant main effect of age group. Post hoc analyses showed that youth players belonging to the older age groups (U16, U17, U19, and U23) performed significantly better in the 360 degrees-multiple object tracking task than players of the youngest age group (U12). Yet no significant age-related differences could be found from age group U16 on. Furthermore, there was a significant effect of soccer performance level on the 360 degrees-multiple object tracking performance in favor of the elite players. Significant differences between elite and sub-elite players within the same age group were only present in the highest age groups U19 and U23. Conclusions: The results suggest that in a dynamic 360 degrees-environment highly talented youth soccer players show better perceptual-cognitive performance with increasing age. Furthermore, elite youth players exhibit distinctive perceptual-cognitive abilities particularly at the highest age groups. These findings provide interesting implications for science and practice regarding the perceptual-cognitive skills of talented soccer players and their role in talent development.